
isiii 



Mm''- 







Glass /0 . A 



Book ,Ff>i^S 

Gopyright]^" 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



HISTORY 

OF THE 
IN 

PITTSBURGH 



I< 



1 l> \.J !A 


t 


1 


"IQOO 


J 


H 





^ 



J 




THK GRANT STRKKT CHURCH 
Built in 1888 






rf.e> 



COPTRIQHT, 1909 

THE First English Evangelical Lutheran Church 
IN Pittsburgh 



LisKARY uf Congress 

Two Cocip- ' • "d 

JUN 16 Wma 

* CLASS A A..,. 



TO THE MEMORY 



Ci^omaiej i^ettci^ lane 

FOR SIXTY-SEVEN YEARS A MEMBER OF THIS CONGREGATION 

AND FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY 

A FAITHFUL CHURCH OFFICER 

THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY THE 
CHURCH COUNCIL 



preface 




KADITION is not trustworthy. 
A carefully prepared and well 
authenticated historical narra- 
tive is a safe teacher. Too little 
attention has been given in the 
past to the preparation and 
preservation of accurate ac- 
counts of the life and work of our individual congre- 
gations. The value of such records cannot be over- 
estimated. Their absence has frequently caused 
much embarrassment to individuals and to congre- 
gations. Titles to property, insurance policies, and 
pension claims have been invalidated by incomplete 
parish records. 

Furthermore, there are developed in the long 
career of a faithful congregation distinctive methods 
of work and high ideals of worship which give to 
it character, prestige, and honor. In order that suc- 
ceeding generations of worshippers may know their 
worthy ancestors and perpetuate the praiseworthy 
individuality of their congregational family these 
things must be written. 

Eealizing the far-reaching significance of these 
facts, the Council of the First Church at various 
times formally considered the question of editing the 
records of the meetings of that body for publication. 
Historical sermons had been preached in this par- 
ish, brief items of important congregational move- 

[vii] 



jateface 



ments had appeared in the religious press at various 
times, but no serious attempt at a complete and 
accurate account of the life of the congregation was 
made until the year 1907, when the question of the 
proper observance of the seventieth anniversary of 
its founding was presented to the Council. After a 
formal discussion of the matter it was referred to 
a committee consisting of the Pastor, Mr. Thomas 
H. Lane, Mr. B. F. Weyman, and Mr. Henry Balken, 
with authority to act. At the first meeting of this 
committee which was held at the home of Mr. Lane, 
it was unanimously agreed that no more appropriate 
and useful observance of the anniversary could be 
devised than the published account of the congre- 
gation's long and illustrious career. 

The work of gathering the data and editing the 
same was assigned to the Pastor and Mr. Lane; that 
of publishing to Mr. Weyman and Mr. Balken, who 
have generously borne the entire expense of the whole 
work. 

The work was begun at once. With most pains- 
taking care Mr. Lane made extended transcripts 
from the Minutes of the Council, which Minutes are, 
for certain pastorates, quite ample and accurate, but 
in parts are quite fragmentary, thus necessitating 
extended research in other directions. This work of 
transcribing he continued most zealously and affect- 
ionately until his failing physical strength stilled his 
hand; even then he drew upon the full store of his 
accurate memory and related many interesting and 
important facts which otherwise would have been 
forever lost, but which have now been carefully in- 
corporated in this book. 

[viii] 



^^teface 



The scope of the work continued to enlarge until 
the Committee became aware that in order to do 
full justice to the congregation this printed record 
must contain an account, not only of its local life 
and work but also of its interest in and its relation 
to the Church at large. As Dr. Passavant speaking 
of this congregation, said in The Workman of July 
24, 1890: "It would require a volume to recount 
the intimate connection of this Church with the 
different forces which have been so effective in the 
history and development of the Lutheran Church in 
America." 

Therefore upon the death of Mr. Lane the Com- 
mittee formally called to its aid the Rev. Luther 
D. Eeed, Director of the Krauth Memorial Library 
at the Philadelphia Seminary, whose services in com- 
piling, amplifying, verifying, and editing the manu- 
script have been invaluable. To his scholarly effi- 
ciency^, critical judgment, artistic taste, practical 
knowledge, and friendly offices in this enterprise, 
the Committee hereby makes most grateful acknowl- 
edgement. 

Early in its career the congregation attained to a 
position of leadership and has been long noted for its 
strategic position between the East and the "West, for 
its conservative attitude, its earnest interest in and 
liberality toward the Mission cause and the work of 
Christian education, for its generous gifts to the 
Church and to charity, and for its loyal stand in de- 
fense of the churchly dignity of its form of worship 
in an unliturgical community. No language difficulty 
has ever impeded its progress, and it has known no 

[ix] 



preface 



strife or contention except the Synodical controversy 
of 1866. 

The record of these things as contained in the Min- 
utes of Council has been much enlarged by reference 
to various published histories of the city of Pitts- 
burgh and of other congregations in the city ; to cer- 
tain denominational publications; to the published 
biographies of the Eev. Drs. Heyer, Krauth and Pas- 
savant; and to the files of the Church papers and 
the Minutes of Synods. 

The work is necessarily somewhat uneven in its 
character. Many beautiful acts of faith and devotion 
on the part of members of the congregation have 
never been recorded by the hand of man. Much help- 
ful ministration and inspiring influence has its only 
earthly record in grateful human hearts. Many 
noble names and acceptable sacrifices are known only 
to Him Who is omniscient. 

What is herein written of the early struggles, of 
the loyalty, faithfulness and consecration of the 
founders and fathers of this Church is a praise- 
worthy^ example and a splendid inspiration to the 
congregation of to-day and likewise to those who 
shall follow us. 

May the precious heritage of seventy-two years of 
honorable history be kept, guarded, and cherished by 
worthy hearts and hands to the glory of God and to 
the enlargement of the borders of His Kingdom. 

Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. 

^ , ^^ ^ George J. Gongaware 

Easter, 1909 



[X] 



Contents 



PAGE 

Preface vii 

I. Introductory 1 

II. Pastorate of the Rev. Carl Friedrich Heyer 10 

III. Pastorate of the Rev. Emanuel Frey 23 

IV. Pastorate of the Rev. John McCron, D.D 28 

V. Pastorate of the Rev. William H. Smith 47 

VI. Pastorate of the Rev. William Alfred Passavant, D.D . 51 
VII. Pastorate of the Rev. Charles Porterfield Krauth, 

D.D.. LL.D 68 

VIII. Pastorate of the Rev. Reuben Hill, D.D 82 

IX. Pastorate of the Rev. Samuel Laird, D.D 94 

X. Pastorate of the Rev. Edmund Belfour, D.D 122 

XI. Pastorate of the Rev. David Harrison Geissinger, D.D . 148 

XII. Pastorate of the Rev. George J. Gongaware 180 

Appendix 195 

Chronological Table 213 

Index 219 



[xi] 



SUustrations! 



PAGE 

The Ghant Street Church (built in 1888) Frontispiece 

Mr. George Weyman 8 

Unitabian Church (in which the First EngHsh Lutheran Church 

was organized) 13 

The Rev. Carl Friedrich Heyer 16 

The Old Court House (in which the congregation worshipped) ... 24 . 

The Rev. John McCron, D.D 30 

The Seventh Avenue Church (built in 1840) 38 

Interior of the Seventh Avenue Church 48 

The Rev. William Alfred Passavant, D.D 52 

Chancel of the Seventh Avenue Church 65 

The Rev. Charles Porterfield Krauth, D.D., LL.D 75^ 

The Rev. Reuben Hill, D.D 84 

The Rev. Samuel Laird, D.D 100 

Pew Plan of the Seventh Avenue Church 109 

The St. John's Mission Sunday School Building 116 

The Rev. Edmund Belfoue, D.D 124 

Interior op the Grant Street Church 137 

The Krauth Memorial Baptismal Font 140 

Chancel of the Grant Street Chxtrch 150 

St. John's Lutheran Church (built 1893) 154 

The Black Memorial Window 158 

The Rev. David Harrison Geissinger, D.D 177 

Mr. Thomas Hetich Lane 185 ' 

The Rev. George J. Gongaware 191 



[xiii] 



CHAPTER I 

SltttroDuctorr 




^N August, 1748, the very month 
and year when Henry Melchior 
Muhlenberg and other Lutheran 
pastors organized the venerable 
Ministerium of Pennsylvania in 
Philadelphia, Muhlenberg's 
father-in-law, Conrad Weiser, 
the well-known Lutheran Indian Agent of the Tulpe- 
hocken Valley, led a party of men to Logstown on the 
banks of the Ohio to treat with the Indians. In the 
development that succeeded this and the formation of 
the '' Ohio Company," German settlers from Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, and even from the 
Fatherland, were side by side with the Scotch-Irish, 
and often before them, in pushing forward the fron- 
tier lines and taking up lands. 

In 1782 there were about one hundred families in 
Pittsburgh, living in some sixty houses, only one of 
which was stone. In this year the German Lutherans 
and Reformed in and about Pittsburgh together called 
the Rev. John W.Weber, a Reformed pastor, to minis- 
ter to them, and he organized and served this, the first 
congregation in Pittsburgh, in connection with three 
other congregations in Westmoreland County, Brush 
Creek, Harolds, and Mt. Pleasant township. Tliis 
was the beginning of the First German United Evan- 
gelical Protestant Church, which is claimed to be 

[1] 



firjst cBngli^]^ Luti^eran C^urci^ 



the oldest Union congregation in America or Europe, 
though it was not until 1821 that the Lutherans and 
Keformed became legally united in an incorporated 
congregation. The congregation had no synodical 
connection and for many years alternated its pastors 
from Lutheran and German Reformed connections. 
Its services were exclusively German. From its 
organization until 1826 the following Lutheran pas- 
tors served it: John Michael Steck, Jacob Sclmee, 
Henry Geissenhainer, and Henry Kurtz. 

The Presbyterians held their first service in 1784, 
and the First Presbyterian Church was incorporated 
in 1787. The Second Presbyterian Church dates from 
1804. 

The Roman Catholic chaplain of Fort Duquesne 
was probably the first to hold Divine Service in the 
city, 175^58. But the French soon evacuated the 
fort and the first Roman Catholic pastor did not 
arrive until 1808. 

As early as 1787, the Penns, for the purpose of 
''encouraging and promoting Morality, Piety and 
Religion in general, and more especially in the town 
of Pittsburgh," deeded three plots of ground for 
churches and graveyards to the First Presbyterian 
congregation on Wood St., the German Evangelical 
Protestant Church on Smithfield St., and to certain 
trustees to hold in trust for a Protestant Episcopal 
congregation to be organized in the future. At the 
time of the gift these lots were cornfields outside the 
city proper. 

Episcopalian services were first held ten years 
later and in 1805 Trinity congregation wa^ incor- 

[2] 



gjntroDuctor^ 



porated and the cornerstone of the church laid. In 
1825, the first time a Protestant Episcopal bishop 
visited Pittsburgh, the church was consecrated. 

In the case of the Smithfield St. Church, the 
property was deeded jointly to ''the two German 
religious societies or congregations," one of which 
"adheres to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession" 
and the other known as the "Protestant Reformed 
Church." 

In 1837, when the First English Lutheran Church 
was founded, the population of Pittsburgh proper 
was about twenty thousand; including its immediate 
environs, about thirty-five thousand. The city com- 
prised five wards, the Fifth lying beyond the canal 
and usually designated Bayardstown. The canal 
crossed the Alleghany River by means of an aqueduct, 
passed across Penn and Liberty Streets and through 
the tunnel now used by the Panhandle Railroad, and 
terminated at the Monongahela River. 

The city was supplied with water from a reservoir 
on Grant's Hill (Diamond Alley), diagonally across 
from the present Court House. Pedestrians using the 
streets after dark commonly lighted their way by 
lanterns, though the city gas plant was opened April 
7 of this year. 

There were four or five daily stage lines to and 
from the east, and others to the west, north, and 
south, with their headquarters at the Inn at tTie 
corner of Wood and Fifth Streets where the First 
National Bank now stands. The "Spread Eagle 
Tavern," on the site of the present Seventh Avenue 
Hotel, was the headquarters of the wagoners, who, 

[3] 



fiv^t €ng,li^^ Lutl^eran Ci^urci^ 



in huge, covered, six-horse wagons, transported great 
quantities of the city's freight. Steamboats also 
plied the rivers, but the canals afforded possibly 
the most important facilities for passenger and 
freight transportation. Two daily packet lines main- 
tained communication with the east, and other lines 
operated in other directions. 

The German Evangelical Protestant congregation 
had a brick church on the lot, Smithfield and Sixth 
Sts., with a graveyard adjoining and extending from 
the church along Smitlifield St. to Strawberry Alley. 
As already indicated many German Lutheran families 
were in active connection with this congregation. 

The Episcopal Church contained many substantial 
families who had been Lutheran and who had been 
drawn into connection with it by the close resem- 
blance in doctrine and usage to their own Church. 

There were, however, those who could not be 
diverted from their spiritual mother and who longed 
for a Lutheran congregation and place of worship. 

The establishment of the First English Evangelical 
Lutheran Church is an illustration of the efficient 
and far-reaching labors possible for devout laymen. 
To such a large extent was the preliminary work of 
organization done when the first accredited mission- 
ary reached the city, that we may truly say that the 
congregation was founded by a layman. The records 
clearly indicate that the movement was mainly de- 
pendent upon Mr. George Wejrman, who in his early 
manhood, had come to this city from Philadelphia, 
the home of his parents. His acquaintance with the 
Lutheran ministers of that city led to his corres- 

[4] 



3introtiuctort 



pondence with, them upon the desirability of estab- 
lishing a congregation in Pittsburgh. This undoubt- 
edly prepared the way for the final action of the 
West Pennsylvania Synod and the appointment of 
Father Heyer as the missionary to organize the 
congregation. 

The successful effort to establish, an entirely Eng- 
lish. Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh at this time is all 
the more remarkable when we recall some of the 
circumstances. Mr. Weyman himself had been a 
member of Zion's German Lutheran Church in Phila- 
delphia. His early associations in Pittsburgh were 
with the Smithfield Street Church, which was entirely 
German. Lutherans who came to the city from the 
surrounding country were without exception from 
German congregations, as there were at this date 
very few English Lutheran congregations west of 
the Susquehanna and none at all exclusively English 
within the bounds of the present Pittsburgh Synod. 

In 1815 the Rev. Mr. Cook of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church, living in Huntington, Pa., being 
** convinced of the purity of the principles of the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church, ' ' desired to be received 
as a member of the Ministerium of Pennsylvania and 
made formal application with the request that he be 
located in Huntington, where he thought there was 
a field for English Lutheran work. But that body 
replied, ''as our Ministerium is a German- speaking 
Ministerium, we cannot have anything to do with him 
according to our present principles; but as soon as 
he, according to the declaration of his letter, has 
acquired the German language so that he can also 

[5] 



fim (Bng^W^ tnt^ttan Cl^urc]^ 

preach in the same, he may apply to us again and 
expect preferment. ' ' ^ 

There was no attempt to introduce English in the 
old Brush Creek Church until 1848 and then it re- 
sulted in a division in the congregation. "English 
for business but German for worship" was the 
avowed conviction of many Lutherans of that day.- 

The wave of rationalism had sapped the vitality 
of all branches of the Christian Church. There was 
a widespread indifference to distinctively doctrinal 
standards and the prevailing spirit of Unionism inev- 
itably resulted in the absorption of the weaker by the 
stronger. Hence several attempts to establish English 
Lutheran congregations elsewhere had failed. With 
no English constituency, with but very little Lutheran 
literature in English, and with the unceasing opposi- 
tion of the Germans, many English Lutheran enter- 
prises had existed feebly for a time and had finally 
been absorbed by the Protestant Episcopal Church. 
Thus in New York City the first entirely English 
Lutheran congregation organized in this country, 
Zion's, 1796, lost its pastor, the Rev. George Strebeck, 
and a large number of its members to the Episcopal 
Church in 1805, and in 1810 the remaining portion, 
with their pastor, the Rev. Ralph Williston, who had 
originally been a Methodist, also entered the same 
communion. The New York Ministerium had even 



' Documentary Histoiy of the Ministei'ium of Pennsylvania, pp. 
479 and 483. 

'Ulery, History of the Southern Conference of the Pittsburgh 
Synod, p. 76. 

[6] 



3!ntrotiuctor^ 



officially declared the Protestant Episcopal Church 
to be the English Lutheran Church, to which all 
Lutherans preferring English to German should be 
directed.^ 

The first permanent English Lutheran congrega- 
tion in America, St. John's, Philadelphia, had been 
established but thirty-one years before, after the 
most bitter controversy over the question of lan- 
guage, by a party which, under the leadership of 
General Peter Muhlenberg, had left old Zion's Church 
in 1806. It is a most remarkable fact that the lan- 
guage question seems never to have been a matter 
even of discussion in the early days of the First 
Church, Pittsburgh. 

We must also bear in mind the strong Scotch- 
Irish population of the city, dominant in numbers 
and influence, with positive doctrinal positions, using 
only the English language and already possessing 
two institutions of learning, at Cannonsburg and at 
Washington, Pa. 

In view of these facts, and of others which might 
be mentioned, we can appreciate the far-sighted 
courage, steadfastness, and zeal of those who under- 
took to establish an entirely English Lutheran Church 
in Pittsburgh in 1837. If similar progressiveness 
had been shown by our fathers in other important 
centres, English Lutheranism would now be more 
firmly entrenched in our great cities. 



' Jacobs, History of the English Evangelical Lutheran Church 
in the United States, p. 319 ; and article " The Lutheran Church 
in Philadelphia" {The Lutheran, Oct. 15, 1908). 
[7] 



fim CnglijS]^ Luti^eran €^nu^ 

Not alone in the pioneer efforts was Mr. Weyman 
conspicuous for his tireless endeavors, but during 
all the early struggles of the congregation, the heavy 
burden of financial responsibility and management 
rested upon him. Father Heyer records that ''Mr. 
George Weyman imdertook to build the church almost 
alone. Besides the large sum which he contributed, 
he had, when the church was finished, a claim of 
$12,000 against it, which the Church has gradually 
paid off."^ 

While the preparatory movements were pending, 
Mr. Weyman, in travelling eastward on a canal 
packet, discovered that Dr. Peter Shoenberger was 
a passenger also, bound for his iron furnaces in 
Huntingdon County. They discussed the movement 
for a Lutheran congregation, and came to a tacit 
understanding unitedly to seek a suitable property 
and guarantee the pajTuents. While there is nothing 
recorded to substantiate this, it was in later years 
accepted and related by Dr. Passavant. Dr. Shoen- 
berger held a pew in the church on Seventh Avenue 
and occasionally communed. His business interests 
were extensive and often required his absence from 
the city. Prior to the movement to establish the 
First Church, his family had united with Trinity 
Episcopal Church. His son, John H. Shoenberger, 
made munificent gifts and large bequests to that con- 
gregation and to charitable institutions connected 
with the Episcopal Church. 



* Autobiography, see Lutheran Church Review, April, 1906, Ap- 
pendix. 

[8] 




Mr. GEORGE WEYMAN 



:}vrh 



rch BevicM 



31ntroDuctDt:i? 



This chapter may properly close with the following 
tribute from the pen of Dr. Passavant, in The Work- 
man of July 24, 1890. 

" While the history of this venerable Church is inwrought 
with the life and ministry of its successive pastors, we 
thankfully refer to the important part which was borne in 
its establishment by an unassuming layman. This was Mr. 
George Weyman, a former member of old Zion German 
Church in Philadelphia, who at an early day removed to 
Pittsburgh. At the peril of his own business, he borrowed 
$6000 and advanced this sum to purchase the church-lots. 
As the successive paj^ments on the building became due and 
the feeble band of members were unequal to the undertak- 
ing, he made new loans to pay the contractors. In so doing 
he was compelled to mortgage his factory, and seriously to 
cripple his business. 

On visiting the congregation at its second call, in 1844, we 
found the church advertised by the sheriff, the principal and 
interest already due being $16,000 — a sum in those days 
equal to double this amount at present. How he staggered 
under this oppressive load, patiently bearing the burden for 
Christ's sake, and quietly waiting for Divine deliverance, 
is known only to God and the very few who survive. In 
all the eleven years of our pastorate, not a murmur escaped 
his lips, and when, before resigning, we made the last pay- 
ment, in money and securities, he was meditating plans of 
beneficence for the good of the congregation! He was 
indeed a chosen instrument in the hands of Providence to 
perform, a special work, and nobly did he accomplish the 
work given him to do! " 



CHAPTER II 

€)r9ant?ation of t^t Congregation, anD pa^ 
torate of tl^e m^o. Carl fricDric]^ i^ei^er 

1837 




TRAVELLING missionary sys- 
tem was established by the Min- 
isterium of Pennsylvania in 
1806, and in 1814 the first at- 
tempt was made to labor among 
the scattered Lutherans in 
Western Pennsylvania under 
this system. The Rev. J. C. F. Heyer was one of 
these missionaries, and in 1817 he operated in Craw- 
ford and Erie Counties, and at the request of some 
settlers who could not understand German he 
preached in that year what was probably the first 
English Lutheran sermon in Western Pennsylvania. 
In 1825 the pastors of the Ministerium of Penn- 
sylvania west of the Susquehanna organized the 
West Pennsylvania Synod and for a time continued 
the travelling missionary system. The General 
Synod, organized in 1820, also sent some men into 
this territory. Some of these missionaries undoubt- 
edly visited Pittsburgh, met the English Lutherans, 
held meetings, and did preliminary missionary work. 
During the session of the West Pennsylvania 
Synod at Mechanicsburg, Pa., in 1835, the Central 
Missionary Society was organized. Meetings were 

[10] 



I^ajstorate of tl^e lEeb. Carl fxizMci^ f e^er 

to be held regularly at the place and time of the 
meetings of the General Synod, and the purpose of 
the new organization was to strengthen by systematic 
co-operation the work of the different synodical 
societies. The Eev. Mr. Heyer was the chairman of 
the preliminary meeting. The permanent officers 
elected were: president, Eev. John Bachman, D.D. ; 
treasurer, Rev. Prof. M. Jacobs ; corresponding secre- 
tary, Eev. S. S. Schmucker, D.D. ; recording secre- 
tary, Eev. H. L. Baugher. 

The following year, 1836, the Synod in session at 
Lewistown received a letter from Eev. Mr. Eosen- 
miller of Perrysburg, Ohio, in which he "wishes to 
know, whether, and to what extent, the Synod would 
aid him iii the attempt to organize an English 
Lutheran congregation in Pittsburgh." The Synod 
resolved "that the above application be referred to 
the Executive Committee of the Central Missionary 
Society and that the Synod recommend Brother 
Eosenmiller, as likewise brethren Sharretts and 
Martin, as suitable persons for Pittsburgh."^ 

Father Heyer says: 

" Efforts had been made at various times to establish an 
English Lutheran congregation in Pittsburgh; but so far 
unsuccessfully. The Synod of West Pennsylvania at its 
meeting held in October [1836] had resolved to make another 
attempt, and appointed three of its members to preach in 
Pittsburgh in rotation. Those thus commissioned were 
N. Scharretts, J. Martin and C. F. Heyer ... On Sat- 
urday I arrived in Pittsburgh. Mr. G. Weyman, a quiet but 
Christian man, took a specially active part in the establish- 



' Minutes, 1836, p. 15. 

[11] 



ifir^t €mli^\) lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

ment of an English congregation in Pittsburgh. On Sunday- 
morning and evening I preached in the Cumberland Presby- 
terian Church. On the following Tuesday seven or eight 
heads of families came together to discuss what further could 
and should be done to attain our purpose. Among other 
things it was resolved to accept with thanks the promised 
assistance of the West Pennsylvania Synod. Further, a 
committee was appointed to look for a suitable building 
where meetings could be held in future. All were urged to 
hunt up the English-speaking members of our Church in 
and around Pittsburgh, and to encourage them to take part 
in the establishment of an English Lutheran Church. 

' ' Some weeks after this beginning had been made Bro. J. 
Martin went to Pittsburgh and preached very acceptably in 
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. When I came to 
Pittsburgh the second time, the Unitarian Church, on Smith- 
field Street, had been rented for our use for six months. 
At the first meeting in this building a Constitution was 
proposed, adopted and signed by eleven or twelve heads of 
families. Soon after this I received instructions from the 
Missionary Society to remain in Pittsburgh, to carry on the 
work which had been begun." - 

The first entry in the congregation's book of record 
is as follows: 

" Pittsburgh, January 15, 1837. 

" Inasmuch as circumstances seem to require the imme- 
diate formation of an English Evangelical Lutheran Con- 
gregation in the city of Pittsburgh under the care of the 
Evangelical Lutheran Synod of West Pennsylvania, the 



' Autobiographj-, Edited by the Rev. W. A. Lambert and pub- 
lished in his " Life of Rev. J. F. C. Heyer, M.D.," in the Lutheran 
Church Review, 1903-1906. For this passage see Appendix to 
April, 1906. 

[12] 




m > 

S- z 
2^ 



Cftitrcli 



whei 





■ "lay 




! Presby- 




or eight 




her could 




Among o1 1' -.' 




thf pronr 1 


1 be held in future. 


1' ii^;ii'l'.ig 

ul were urged t| 


h-speaking memln r^ 


niir Church ii 


c^h, and to enc 


u to take pail 


of an Enp'- ' 


h. 1 


r this be:- 


:.^ Brogi 




^ 'M 





';'il 




from t|e 


ail) m i\ 


; V on t^e 


B the congregatiorr^ 


c 

1 

book of record 


' Pittsburgh, 




s seem !■ 




11 Evangc 




Pittsburgh un 




v.M.d of West 




.. iie Rev. W. 




J. F. C. Heyer, A, 


, ■ Ik rail 


^'' T this pas«iai;t. 


*.,,■, . . 



I 



pamtau of ti^e Mt% Carl frtetirici^ i^e^er 

following named persons made application to have their 
names recorded and to be considered as members of the 
Church to be organized. ' ' ^ 

The formula annexed to the Hymn Book published 
by the General Synod was adopted for the govern- 
ment of the congregation. Messrs. George Weyman 
and F. A. Heisely were elected elders, and Messrs. 
Jeremiah Eitz and W. J. Anschutz, deacons. 

At eight o'clock that same evening, after religious 
exercises and a sermon, the officers elected were in- 
stalled as the Church Council of the congregation by 
the Eev. Mr. Heyer. The Church was then declared 
duly organized by the name of the First English 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh. The 
services were closed with singing and the benediction, 
and the record of the day ends with the quaint ex- 
pression, "The meetings were interesting, and the 
Divine Presence was manifested to some good degree 
in our midst. ' ' This organization was effected in the 
Unitarian Church, on the corner of Smithfield Street 
and Virgin Alley, the use of the building being 
granted by Mr. Benjamin Bakewell, at that time the 
owner. 

The first meeting of the recently elected Church 
Council was held January 18 at the residence of Mr. 
Weyman. Mr. Heisely was elected secretary and 



^ It is not possible to give the names of the members who organ- 
ized the congregation, for other names were added to the original 
list from time to time without indicating the date of their recep- 
tion. The list given on pages 33-4 probably contains all who were 
in active connection with the congregation three years after its 
organization. 

[13] 



fxm €nq\i&) tut^ttan Cl^urcl^ 

Mr. Weyman treasurer. The first Monday of the 
month was chosen for regular meetings. 

February 6, the Council recommended the election 
of two additional deacons; also that the meetings of 
the Council be opened with singing and prayer, and 
that the members kneel in prayer. It was resolved 
to administer the Communion on Easter Sunday, 
March 26, ''in the evening, at candlelight." 

By the end of June the Unitarian congregation se- 
cured a pastor and occupied their church on Sunday 
morning, but the Lutheran congregation was permit- 
ted to hold its services there on Sunday afternoons. 
The use of a sehoolhouse on the river bank where the 
Monongahela House now stands, was secured. Here 
the Lord's Supper was administered, and in the 
absence of an altar. Father Heyer is reported to have 
taken blackboards from the walls and improvised a 
table. In November, 1837, the old Court House was 
secured for regular services and this was used by 
the congregation until April, 1839. This building, a 
two-story structure with one-story wings, built of 
brick about the year 1789, stood on the west side of 
Market Street. Opposite was the semicircular market 
house. The appearance of the Court House was con- 
siderably changed in later years by the removal of 
the wings and the erection of sheds in their place to 
afford additional accommodations to meat-dealers in 
the market. December 25, 1837, the German con- 
gregation was given the use of the Court House on 
the forenoon of everj^ fourth Sunday, the English 
congregation holding its service in the afternoons 
of these days. 

[14] 



paistorate of t^t iSeb. Carl jfrteDrtc]^ i^e^er 

In the meantime a committee had been appointed 
to select a suitable lot for the erection of a ''meeting- 
house" and to ascertain upon what conditions such a 
lot could be purchased or leased. 

The Council appointed Mr. F. A. Heisely a delegate 
to the meeting of the West Pennsylvania Synod to 
be held at Blairsville, Pa., September 28, and invited 
that body to hold its next annual meeting in 
Pittsburgh. In 1842 the territory of this Synod was 
reduced by the formation by some of its members of 
the Alleghanj^ Sjmod, and again the organization of 
the Pittsburgh Synod in 1845 and of the Synod of 
Central Pennsylvania in 1856 still further decreased 
it. It is now confined to Adams, York, Cumberland, 
and Franklin Counties. 

The Sunday School began with the congregation. 
The third Sunday in January, 1837, twelve persons 
met in the Unitarian church and organized. These 
were Michael Egolf, Jeremiah Ritz, F. A. Heisely, 
Catharine S. Heisely, and Anna B. Collishaw, 
teachers, and Catharine Lauman, John Lauman, 
Wm. F. Heisely, Margaret C. Heisely, Elizabeth 
Richard, Joseph Richard, and Rebecca H. Heisely, 
scholars. The next Sunday the Rev. Mr. Heyer acted 
as superintendent and began the session of the School. 

The enterprise was looked upon as "doubtful," as 
the early minutes frankly say, and for several years 
growth was slow. The School followed the congrega- 
tion in its wanderings, in June to the school-house 
and after a few weeks to the Court House (spoken of 
as "a dark and dreary place"), and Nov. 25 back 
to the Unitarian church. At first the School was 
both English and German. The Germans soon built 

[15] 



itiv^t (Bnq,li^]) lutl^eran Ci^urci^ 

their own church and two-thirds of the School now 
went to the German church. When the English por- 
tion reorganized there were five teachers and thirteen 
scholars. In March, 1838, the School was again in 
*'its uncomfortable old quarters" in the Court House, 
where it remained for two years. 

Father Heyer's connection with the congregation 
continued but a year or less, though he remained in 
Pittsburgh for several years. January 23, 1837, he 
also organized the ''First German Evangelical Lu- 
theran Church of Pittsburgh," now in connection 
with the Missouri Synod (the Rev. Wm. Broecker, 
pastor), and probably less than a year later he or- 
ganized the German Lutherans living in Allegheny, 
who had been worshipping with the English congre- 
gation, into a separate congregation. This congre- 
gation, St. John's, Allegheny (the Rev. H. J. Schuh, 
pastor), has for many years been one of the influen- 
tial ones of the Joint Synod of Ohio. 

Because of the compelling interest of the remark- 
able career of Father Heyer, as well as the especial 
importance and influence of his later labors in the 
Church, it has been thought well to give here a brief 
sketch of his life. 

His was a strange personality — not great, not 
learned, and yet extraordinary; too restless to spend 
many years in the same place; too zealous for the 
progress of the Kingdom of Christ to be idle any- 
where; a builder of foundations; a forerunner; a 
veritable herald of the Lutheran faith in new portions 
of the homeland and on the foreign field. 

He lived in an interesting period of our national 
life, and in a critical period of our Church's history. 

[16] 




THE Rev. CARL FRIEDRICH HEYER 



vera! ye; 


i bil- 




lon 




. i;er. 




■ or- 




, M iiUil, 




iufluen- 




tlie remark- 


t J^'ather Heyer, ; 


the especial 
". ;i ^ ill tlie 




ief 


''■''' -Hi li.iliUidim .tHnJ 


■ •rsHi Alii 


personal'^ 


not groat., not 



jeriod of our 



I 



pamvatt of ti^e Mtt. Carl jftietiric]^ l^e^er 

Three of the great wars in America, the Napoleonic 
Revolution in Europe, and the sad fraternal feud in 
the American Lutheran Church came under his 
observation. 

He was born in Helmstedt, Duchy of Brunswick, 
Germany, July 10, 1793. He began to learn his 
father's trade, that of a furrier. When fourteen 
years of age, he was confirmed in St. Stephen's 
Church in his native town. Very soon thereafter he 
embarked for America, by a strange coincidence 
taking the American sailing vessel "Pittsburgh." 
Arriving in Philadelphia, he was cared for by an 
uncle, who gave him employment and encouraged 
him in his studies. The learned Rev. Dr. Helmuth 
and the Rev. F. D. Schaeffer were among his in- 
structors. At the age of twenty-two he returned 
to Germany, to study at the University of Gottingen. 
After two years, that is in 1817, he came again to 
America and was licensed to preach by the Minister- 
ium of Pennsylvania in session at York. His name 
is given variously in subsequent records as P. Heyer, 
J. C. F. Heyer and C. F. Heyer. 

Soon thereafter we find liim serving as travelling 
missionary in Crawford and Erie Counties. Thence 
he removed to Cumberland, Md., and after being 
ordained by the Maryland Synod, was received as 
a member of that body in 1821. He served con- 
gregations in Somerset and Carlisle, Pennsylva- 
nia, and in 1830 became the representative of the 
Sunday-School Union of the General Synod. Resign- 
ing this office, he again took charge of a congregation 
in Somerset, Pa., and in 1835 again became a travel- 
ling missionary and visited the scattered German 

2 [17], 



ftr^t €ngli0]^ JLutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

Lutheran settlements in the Middle West. Late in 
the year 1836 he came to Pittsburgh, where he par- 
ticipated in the organization of the First English 
Lutheran Church and became its first pastor. He 
also organized the German Lutherans into two con- 
gregations, one in Pittsburgh and the other in Alle- 
gheny. In 1839 he accepted a call from the Society 
for Foreign Missions to labor as missionary in India. 

It had been proposed to place his work under the 
care of the American Board of Missions; demurring, 
he appealed to the Ministerium of Pennsylvania to 
undertake a distinctively Lutheran Foreign Mission, 
and offered himself for this work. Accordingly, on 
Oct. 15, 1841, he was sent to begin mission work in 
India, under the auspices of the Lutheran Church in 
America. He touched at the island of Ceylon, and 
later visited the Danish-Halle Mission in Tamil, and 
then began a tour of exploration to the Telegu 
Province of India. 

He arrived at Guntur, South India, in Jul}^ 1842, 
where he was cordially received by an English official 
who willingly transferred to Mr. Heyer an English 
Telegu School which this official, with the assistance 
of other English citizens in India, had founded and 
maintained. It was this Providential opportunity 
which prompted Heyer to establish the Mission in 
Guntur. After three years of successful labor, he 
withdrew from the field, leaving it in charge of Rev. 
Walter Gunn, also a Lutheran missionary from 
America. Upon his return to America, he organized 
a congregation at Baltimore, Maryland. 

In the spring of 1848, Father Heyer was again in 
India, and at once resumed work at Guntur, associa- 

[18] 



pamtatt of ti^e m% Carl jfrieHtic]^ f e^er 

ting himself with the Rev. Mr. Gunn. In March of 
1849 he removed to the Palnaud District, west of 
Gmatur. Here he labored for four years, and is re- 
ported to have made two hundred and thirty converts, 
to have established eight congregations, and to have 
organized the first boarding-school of the Mission. 
Early in 1853 he again took charge of the Guntur 
Mission, and early in 1855 removed to Rajahmundry, 
where he remained until 1857, when he returned to 
America and began Home Missionary work in the 
State of Minnesota. 

He was now in the sixty-fourth year of his age, but 
his natural strength, judging from his labors, was not 
at all abated, nor was his missionary zeal in the 
least lessened. In what was known as the Great 
Northwest of our country, with the city of St. Paul 
as his headquarters, and the Apostle Paul as his ex- 
ample, he labored incessantly among the Lutherans 
scattered over vast areas. Through his instrumen- 
tality the Minnesota Synod, of which he was Presi- 
dent for eight years, was organized in 1860. Two 
years later, with Red Wing as his headquarters, we 
find him still travelling over the prairies, preaching 
the gospel and administering the sacraments. Here 
he was exposed to the severe cold of the winters and 
to the hostility of the roving bands of Sioux Indians. 
It was during the time of his missionary service in 
the region of Red Wing that Mr. Thomas H. Lane 
visited him and heard from his own lips the story of 
hardship and privation incident to the life of a 
Lutheran missionary in that region in that early 
day. 

[19] 



fim (Bnq\i^^ lutl^cran Ci^urcl^ 

The two succeeding winters lie spent in Somerset, 
Pa., returning in the interim to organize a Lutheran 
congregation at New Ulm, Minnesota. In the sum- 
mer of 1868, with a granddaughter as his protege, he 
sailed from Baltimore for Germany, where he ex- 
pected to spend the remaining years of his life in 
restful quiet and in watchful care of this favorite 
grandchild, who is remembered especially in the 
terms of his will. He had been in Germany less than 
a year when he learned that the Foreign Mission 
Society contemplated transferring the Lutheran Mis- 
sion stations in India to the Church Mission Society 
of England. He hastened to America in 1869 and 
appeared before the Pennsylvania Ministerium in 
annual convention at Reading. At the very moment 
of his arrival, the Ministerium was about deciding to 
make the transfer. Father Heyer, patriarchal in 
appearance, apostolic in zeal and devotion, heroic in 
his loyalty to the Lutheran Church, suddenly ap- 
peared before the body, pleaded earnestly for the 
retention of the field, and met the objection that no 
missionary was available by offering, though seventy- 
six years of age, to go again himself to India. So 
profound was the impression he made that it was 
at once decided to send him and henceforth to sup- 
port the work more loyally and generously. 

He reached Rajahmundry in December, 1869, where 
he labored two years, after which he left the field, 
thoroughly re-organized, in charge of Revs. Schmidt 
and Paulsen. In the spring of 1871 he bade a final 
farewell to India and returned to America. He was 
made Chaplain of the Theological Seminary, then 

[20] 



pamtatt of t]^e Mt\>. Carl iffrieDrfci^ i^e^er 

located on Franklin Street, Philadelphia, where he 
served faithfully until his death, Nov. 7, 1873. In a 
modest, rural cemetery in Friedensburg, Somerset 
County, Pa., is his grave, marked by a simple stone. 

It is perhaps not too much to say that no other 
minister of the American Lutheran Church has been 
so abundant in missionary labors, on the home field 
and abroad, as ''Father Heyer." The secret of his 
strength was his implicit faith in the Word of God, 
and in the efficacy of the means of grace. Full of 
faith and zeal and Christ-like devotion, God richly 
crowned his labors. 

In former biographical notices no reference is to 
be found to his domestic life, but the following data 
have been secured and are well authenticated. In 
1830 he married Mary Webb Gash, the widow of 
Captain Gash of Revolutionary fame. This union 
was blessed with five children, two sons, Charles and 
Theophilus, and three daughters, Sophie, Julia and 
Henrietta, whose descendants are to be found in 
Baltimore and in Ohio, West Virginia, and Massa- 
chusetts. A granddaughter. Miss Etta Brubaker, is at 
present a teacher in the public schools of Pittsburgh. 

A suggestion to his friends that in case of death 
by drowning, while en route to his foreign field, his 
monument should bear the inscription, ''To Heyer, 
Cosmopolite! Born in Europe, Minister in America, 
Missionary in Asia, Died at Sea," discloses his own 
estimate of his life and disposition. The following 
inscription on his tombstone he himself suggested: 
"Justified by Faith — Saved Through Grace — Resur- 
gam. ' ' 

[21] 



fim Cnglijs]^ lutl^emn Ci^urc]^ 

Following are extracts from his will: 

6th. Pay to the Evangelical Lutheran Somerset Congrega- 
tion, One Thousand ($1000.00) Dollars. 

7th. Pay to the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Sem- 
inary in Philadelphia, One Thousand ($1000.00) Dollars. 

8th. Pay to the Executive Committee of the German 
Evangelical Lutheran jMinisterium of Pennsylvania and 
Adjacent States, One Thousand ($1000.00) Dollars for the 
use of Foreign Missions, especially for the benefit of the 
Rajahmundry Station, and, if practicable, to be expended 
among the upper Godavery tribes. 

9th. Pay to Rev. Dr. Passavant, Five Hundred ($500.00) 
Dollars, one-half of which is intended for the Orphans under 
his care, and the other half is to go to the Orphans' Home 
at Germantown. 



CHAPTER III 

pamvatt of ti^e Eelj* c^tnanuel fre^ 



1838 




OR nearly a year the little con- 
gregation struggled bravely 
amid great discouragements and 
without a pastor. At a meeting 
of the Council, January 24,1838 
at the residence of Mr. Wey- 
man, at which the Rev. Mr. 
Heyer was present, Messrs. Weyman, Ritz, and 
Heisely were appointed to look for a lot, or building, 
to be leased or purchased. Mr. Heyer and Mr. Egolf 
were appointed to ascertain whether a suitable minis- 
ter could be obtained. It was decided to offer the sum 
of three hundred dollars salary in addition to the two 
hundred dollars which the Missionary Society gave. 
Michael Egolf and H. W. Caufman were elected 
deacons. 

February 5, at the house of Michael Egolf, the 
first committee reported that they had examined two 
lots; one on Irwin Street, between Penn Street and 
the Allegheny River, valued at six thousand five hun- 
dred dollars, and one on Grant Street, between Sixth 
and Seventh Streets, which the owner would not at 
present sell. This, in all probability, is the very lot 
on which the present church stands. 

The committee on correspondence reported having 
received a letter from the Rev. S. S. Schmucker stat- 

[23] 



jfiv^t CnglijS]^ iLutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

ing that the Executive Committee had appointed the 
Rev. H. Haverstick, of Somerset, Pa., to officiate for 
the English congregation. A month later Mr. Haver- 
stick wrote that it would be impossible for him to 
visit the congregation before the end of April. Mr. 
Heyer was requested to confer with him on the state 
of the congregation on his visit to his family. But 
evidently the appointment was never fulfilled, for it 
was subsequently resolved to write to the Rev. Mr. 
Schmucker informing him of the failure to secure 
Mr. Haverstick. 

Mr. Weyman reported about this time that a lot 
could be obtained on the corner of Fourth Street and 
Cherry Alley for the sum of seventy-five hundred 
dollars by paying interest as ground rent with the 
privilege of buying it out at any time. A building on 
Marbury Street and a property on Coal Lane were 
also considered. 

October 2, the Council met at the residence of Mr. 
Weyman. The Rev. John N. Hoffman, of Chambers- 
burg, Pa,, was present and conducted the devotional 
service. The following resolution was passed : 

" That relying on Divine aid, we forthwith commence 
operations in view of the erection of an English Evangelical 
Lutheran Church, and that every member of the Council, 
and such other members (of Congregation) as are so dis- 
posed, furnish themselves with subscription books and with- 
out further delay call upon friends and citizens for their 
contributions; and that a united and general and vigorous 
effort be made to collect a sufficient sum to authorize the 
purchase of a lot at the first opportunity. 

" Resolved, That the Rev. John N. Hoffman is Iiereby 
[241 




THE OLD COURT HOUSE 
In Which the Congregation Worshipped 



;^7 Ml (rTmv'-^ 



';\ Haver- 
- xor him to 
^' April. Mr. 
! on the sfrif' 
family. J.i u i 
•d, for it 
...... . . .... .o .,u Rev. Mr. 

him of the failure to secure 

'<' time thfcf a lot 
on the r iriij 

i]\<' s;ir, ',•,.,1 



'"l 'net a I ..,. , ,, ..a,.c.xuo ol Mi. 

.\'. Hoffman, of Chamber s- 

iUid conducted the devotional 

ro^olntioTi wns yi'issed: 






iK|q((f»TOW ri' 



the 



.i hereby 



^amtatt of ti^e Bet, (Bmanuel fttv 

requested to call upon the Church generally, through the 
liutheran Observer and otherwise, in aid of the First English 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh." 

Late in the fall the hopes of the little congregation 
were revived by the appearance of a regular pastor 
in the person of the Rev. Emanuel Frey, who, at 
a special meeting of the Council, November 14, was 
introduced as the officiating minister for the coming 
year. His commission and instructions from the 
Missionary Society were submitted five days later at 
a meeting in the house of Mr. Weyman, and by a 
unanimous resolution he was accepted and cordially 
welcomed as the pastor for the term of twelve months 
mentioned in his commission. 

Father Heyer refers to the appointment of Mr. 
Frey in his autobiography. After stating that he 
(Heyer) ministered to both the English and the 
German congregations, and that they worshipped in 
the same building, he says, ''Finally, we felt that if 
each congregation was to continue and grow, it must 
have services every Sunday, and in the forenoon. To 
make this possible the Missionary Society appointed 
one of our most able young preachers, Candidate 
E. Frey, to take charge of the English congregation." 

But a sore disappointment was ahead, for in less 
than five weeks we find, under date of December 24, 
the following resolutions of Council : 

* ' That we regret that the Rev. Emanuel Frey, our pastor, 
was compelled on account of his health to leave Pittsburgh, 
and that a committee be appointed to address a letter to the 
Executive Committee of the Missionary Society at Gettys- 
burg to ascertain whether we can be supplied again shortly. ' ' 

[25] 



ifir^t (EnglijBii^ lutl^emn C^urci^ 

Mr. Frey left Pittsburgh for his home in Somerset, 
Pa. Instead of an improvement in his health, he 
became a confirmed invalid, and was disabled from 
active labors in the ministry during the remainder 
of his life. 

Before Mr. Frey had arrived in Pittsburgh the 
teachers of the struggling Sunday School had met, 
Oct. 24, 1838, at the house of Mr. Egolf to form a 
"Sabbath School Society." A constitution and by- 
laws were adopted and Mr. Egolf was elected presi- 
dent, Mr. John R. Hersh, secretary, and Mr. Geo. 
Hubley, treasurer. Teachers were required "fre- 
quently to hold close and searching conversation with 
their scholars on the principles of our most holy re- 
ligion." A few months later Mr. Hubley reported 
that his class had committed 491 verses of Scripture 
and hymns in two months. Two sessions of the 
School were held for many years, at nine o'clock in 
the morning and one o'clock in the afternoon. In 
the absence of a sexton the superintendent and 
teachers performed his duties. 

March 13, 1839, Mr. Weyman reported that he had 
bought three lots of ground, 22 x 75 feet each, on the 
<?orner of Seventh Street and Miltenberger Alley 
(now Seventh Avenue and Montour Way) ; also that 
there was another lot, 25 x 66 feet, running crosswise 
in the rear of the others, which it would be advisable 
to purchase, thus making the entire lot 66 x 100 feet, 
and at a total cost of eighty-four hundred dollars 
($8400.00). Mr. Weyman was requested to purchase 
the fourth lot upon as favorable terms as possible. 

It was announced that Mr. Ewing offered a Joan 
of four hundred dollars to the congregation. It was 

[26] 



^a0tomte of ti^e Mt\). Emanuel if re^ 

resolved to accept the loan and to appropriate the 
borrowed money and also all that was in the treasury 
to the first payment on the lot. An attorney was 
employed to prepare the deeds. Mr. Weyman re- 
signed as treasurer of the Church and Mr. Ritz was 
elected to fill the vacancy. 

So this handful of people, without a pastor, sub- 
scribed three hundred dollars a year to supplement 
the missionary appropriation and obligated them- 
selves for $8400 for a lot. Here was earnestness and 
courage indeed! 




CHAPTER IV 

pamtatt of ti^e aset. 31oi^n pic€ton, HB.JB. 

1839-1842 

^ APPILY the congregation was 
again supplied, after an in- 
terval of four months. May 
9, 1839, the Council met at 
the house of Mr. Weyman to 
meet the Rev. John McCron 
and to receive his credentials 
as ''resident missionary." 

This was Mr. McCron 's first congregation. Born 
in Manchester, England, Oct. 23, 1807, of an English 
father and an Irish mother, he had pursued his 
theological studies at Gettysburg and was licensed 
to preach in 1839 and sent as missionary to Pitts- 
burgh, although he was not ordained until after the 
meeting of the West Pennsylvania Synod in Pitts- 
burgh, late in the year 1840. 

It was resolved to make definite arrangements for 
building, and each member was requested to ' ' inquire 
of a carpenter the probable expense of putting up a 
building of about the size desired. ' ' A draughtsman 
was also employed to make a draft and to report at 
the next meeting. Mr. McCron was requested to plead 
at the meeting of the General Synod at Chambers- 
burg, June 1, for assistance in building a church. 

Upon his return from the General Synod Mr. 
McCron reported that there was no prospect of aid 

[28] 



IBajstorate of tl^e Eeb. 3i0^n 0ic€ton 

until a beginning had been made in building, after 
which the ministers had promised to assist an agent 
of the congregation in his appeal for funds in their 
respective congregations. 

The Methodist Protestant church was secured for 
services on Sunday afternoons, but it was found im- 
possible to secure a place for the Sunday School on 
better terms than those paid for the use of the Court 
Plouse for that purpose. 

About this time an effort was made to obtain a 
loan from the Theological Seminary Fund, of which 
Mr. C. A. Morris, of York, Pa., was the treasurer. 
A committee of Council also called upon several banks 
in the city to secure a loan to be applied to the pay- 
ment for the lot. 

Upon the suggestion of Mr. McCron, it was re- 
solved to prepare a floor plan of the interior of the 
church and to offer the pews to the public, their value 
to be determined by their situation, and the Council 
to have the first selection unless this would interfere 
with the price of the pews. The Council elected in 
addition to its membership, Charles Geissenhainer, 
elder, and Samuel Cook and Greorge Royer, wardens 
(deacons), who were installed August 6. 

August 8, a special meeting of the Council was 
called to provide for the payment of a note for 
$1,025.00 due on the 9th, there being no funds in the 
treasury. Mr. Weyman was requested to pay the 
note and the officers agreed to make every eifort to 
collect the money by the next meeting. 

September 9, at the house of Mr. Caufman, we find 
the Council again discussing the question of securing 
money to relieve Mr. Weyman from the debt in- 

[29] 



fim €nQli0i^ tut^ztan €Wxc\^ 

curred in the purchase of the lot, and to build a 
church. A motion was made to sell one lot on 
Seventh Street, 20 x 75 ft., and one lot on Miltenber- 
ger Alley, 25 x 66 ft., on or before November first. 
Consideration of the motion was deferred until Sep- 
tember 16 and was then indefinitely postponed. 

September 16, the Building Committee was in- 
structed to receive proposals for building a church 
60 X 70 feet, of brick, having a basement story, and 
a gallery at one end, to be completed before January 
first. Messrs. Anschutz, Ritz, and Geissenhainer were 
added to the Building Committee. A committee was 
appointed to write a letter to the West Pennsylvania 
Synod to be presented at its next meeting, in York, 
Pa., October 3. 

The Minutes of the Synod refer to this "letter from 
a committee of the English Lutheran congregation 
of Pittsburgh, in which they testify their entire satis- 
faction with Mr, McCron, and pray that Synod may 
soon ordain him. The same committee expresses the 
desire that the members of this Synod might aid the 
Rev. J. McCron in his projected visit in behalf of 
their new church. They also invite Synod to hold its 
next annual meeting among them." 

The Synod recommended the congregation to the 
generosity of its members and accepted the invitation 
to meet in Pittsburgh the following year. 

About this time a committee was appointed to se- 
cure a charter for the congregation, and its provisions 
were thoroughly discussed. Tt was secured from the 
State, not from the local courts, and was granted 
March 11, 1840. The congregation still operates 
under this original charter, the text of which follows. 
[30] 




THE Rev. JOHN McCRON, D.D. 



ir<5t em\i^\} Cntlirran Cljiirc^ 



') build a 

was ma< li one lot on 

-w A 75 ft., an on Miltenber 

S ft, on or ovember first. 



r Iti, the b was in- 

...^ a church 



r^'l■<^^ \ ^. 1 1 



■nt story, and 



r'.^ fertot! 

ol tht 
h. in wb' 



vnod may 

. sjiresses the 
inifcht aid the 



f its members and acc( 
'ittsburgh the followin 
^ time a committee w;. 



local courts, an 



pamtatt of tl^e Eeb. giol^n jEcCron 



CHARTER 

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE ENGLISH EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN 
CHURCH IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH 

Section I. Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of 
Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 
General AssemMy met, and it is herehy enacted hy authority 
of the same, That the First English Evangelical Lutheran 
Church in the City of Pittsburgh, is hereby erected into one 
body corporate and politic, in deed and in law, by the same 
name, style, and title of the First English Evangelical 
Lutheran Church in the City of Pittsburgh, and by the 
same name, style, and title shall have perpetual succession,, 
and be able to sue and be sued in all courts of law and else- 
where, and shall be able and capable, in law and equity, to 
take and hold lands and tenements, goods and chattels, of 
whatever kind or quality, real, personal, or mixed, which are 
now or hereafter shall become the property of the said 
Church, by gift, grant, bargain, sale, conveyance, assurance,, 
will, devise, bequest, or otherwise, from any person or per- 
sons whomsoever capable of making the same ; and the same 
to grant, bargain, sell, or to dispose of : Provided, The yearly 
value of the income of said real and personal estate shall 
not at any time exceed four thousand dollars. 

Section II. That no person shall be considered a member 
of said Church, so as to be entitled to vote at any election 
for Pastor, for Trustees, Elders, or Wardens, except such as 
shall have paid one year's pew rent or rent for part of a 
pew, sufficient for one person at least, and shall not be in 
arrears for such rent for more than one year, and shall be 
in full communion with the English Evangelical Lutheran 
Church; and every member shall be at liberty at any time 
to withdraw from said corporation : Provided, That such 
withdrawal shall not discharge from accountability any such 
[31] 



jfirjst €nq\m lutl^emn Ci^urcl^ 



person for his or her full proportion of the necessary 
expenses accrued during the time he or she has been a 
member. 

Section III. That the Vestry of said Church shall be 
thirteen in number, consisting of the Pastor, three Trustees, 
three Elders, and six Wardens [now called Deacons], and 
until others be appointed, shall consist of the following 
persons, viz. : Rev. John McCron, (Pastor) ; Christopher 
Lenhart, George Hubley, and John R. Hersh, (Trustees) ; 
George Weyman, F. A. Heisely and Charles Geissenhainer, 
(Elders) ; William J. Anschutz, Jeremiah Ritz, Henry W. 
Caufman, Michael Egolf, Samuel Cook, and George Reymer, 
(Wardens). The present Trustees to continue in office until 
the first Monday in January, eighteen hundred and forty- 
one. 

The Elders and Wardens to divide themselves into three 
divisions, by lot, and the term of service of the first division 
shall expire on the first Monday in January, eighteen hun- 
dred and forty-one ; of the second division, on the first Mon- 
day in January, eighteen hundred and forty-two; of the 
third division, on the first IMonday of January, eighteen hun- 
dred and forty-three ; and on the same day yearly thereafter 
the members of the Church shall at a general meeting thereof, 
elect by ballot three persons to serve as Trustees, to hold the 
office one year, and one person to serve as Elder, and two to 
serve as Wardens, to continue in office for three years. If 
any vacancy, by death or otherwise, shall happen in said 
Vestry, the remainder shall have power to fill such vacancy 
by appointing a suitable person, or persons, as the case may 
require, until the next general meeting of the congregation 
on the day above mentioned, when a regular election shall 
take place. 

Section IV. That the said Vestry shall have full power to 
enact and enforce such By-Laws and ordinances as they may 
deem proper for the regulation and transaction of th5 busi- 
[32] 



I 



pmotatt of ti^e met* Sloi^n jEcCron 

ness of said corporation: Provided, That the said By-Laws 
and ordinances shall not be inconsistent with the Constitu- 
tion or laws of this State or of the United States. 
(Signed,) WM. HOPKINS, 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
W. T. ROGERS, 
Speaker of the Senate. 
Approved the 11th day of March, 1840. 

(Signed,) DAVID R. PORTER. 

Seceetaky's Office, 
Harrisburg, March 31st, 1840. 
Pennsylvania SS. 
[Seal] 
I hereby certify that the above is a true copy of an Act of 
the General Assembly of the State of Pennsylvania entitled 
" An Act to incorporate the English Evangelical Lutheran 
Church in the City of Pittsburgh," passed the 11th day of 
March, A. D. 1840, as the same remains filed in the said 
office. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and 
seal of said office. 

Fr. R. Shunk, 
Secretary of the Commonwealth. 

The charter was secured more than three years 
after the organization of the congregation, and the 
following list of charter members in all probability 
includes all who were in active connection with the 
congregation at the beginning of 1840. 

George Weyman, W. Schuler, 

Wilham Richart, John Runyan, 

Daniel Groff, Samuel Cook, 

F. A. Ileisely, Andrew W. Berkley, 

, 3 [33] 



fim €nq,li0t^ JLutl^eran Cl^urcl^ 



William J. Anschutz, 
Christopher Lenhart, 
Samuel Fahnestoek, 
Jeremiah Ritz, 
Daniel Smith, 
Henry C. Marthens, 
Jacob Hoffman, 
Charles Ream, 
C. W. Leffingwell, 
Mary Leffingwell, 
Catharena Lauman, 
Eliza Gould, 
Eliza Jane Heilman, 
Michael Egolf, 
Rebecca Runyan, 
Catharine Haselbaeh, 
John P. Gabel, 
Rachel Ritz, 
Mary Graff, 
Margaret Ream, 
Catharine Heisely, 
Elizabeth Runyan, 
George Royer, 
Elizabeth Royer, 
J. Sheets, 
Eliza Propheter, 



Henry W. Caufman, 
Mrs. Caufman, 
Margaret Ebright, 
Daniel Mitchell, 
Henriette Mitchell, 
Mrs. Plitt, 
Mrs. Nicklin, 
Margaret Kreiter, 
Mrs. Eliza Zug, 
Elizabeth Streamer, 
Lydia Shrefler, 
Mrs. Mary Egolf, 
Mrs. Jane Huber, 
Samuel Hubley, 
Charles P. Geissenhainer, 
Peter Fahnestoek, 
George Hubley, 
Jacob Dobler, 
Henry Brown, 
Anna Frances Barclay, 
Robert Jackson, 
John R. Hersh, 
Mary Graham, 
Levi H. Phillips, 
Anthony Wentz, 
Elizabeth Gearing. 



Early in this year, 1840, Christopher Lenhart, Peter 
Fahnestoek, and Henry Brown were elected trustees, 
and the secretary was instructed to notify them to 
appear at the Court House to be installed. Mr. 
Lenhart was added to the Building Committee in 
place of Mr. Anschutz. 

March 8, Mr. Weyman reported that the Building 
Committee had contracted for the building, as* fol- 

[34] 



pamtatt of ti^e Bet* foi^n j^cCron 

lows : carpenter work, $3,900.00 ; brick work, four dol- 
lars per thousand ; stone work, two dollars per perch ; 
the whole work to be completed before the fifth day 
of next September. 

Attention was called to the fact that the West 
Pennsylvania Synod expected to hold its next meet- 
ing in Pittsburgh October 1, and a committee was 
appointed to confer with the German congregation 
concerning entertainment. 

The Eev.Mr.McCron was furnished with credentials 
for use on his proposed collecting tour. A bill of 
J. Mackeral's for excavating the church cellar, 
amounting to $166.25, was submitted. 

May 19, it was decided to place a cast iron plate in 
the front gable of the church, with the inscription in 
raised letters, ''First English Evangelical Lutheran 
Church, 1840." This same plate is to-day housed 
with other interesting parts of the church furnish- 
ings in the basement of the church on Grant Street. 

June 18, a letter from Mr. McCron requested the 
appointment of the Rev. M. Tabler, of Virginia, to 
collect funds for the Church, a compensation of 
twenty-five per cent, to be allowed upon the amount 
collected. The appointment was approved. 

The following month the Rev. Mr. Heyer was ad- 
mitted as an advisory member at a meeting of the 
Council. Mr. McCron reported that he had vis- 
ited and received contributions from the following 
congregations in the East — York, Gettysburg, Ox- 
ford, Berlin, Emmettsburg, Woodsbury, Frederick, 
Jefferson, Winchester, Martinsburg, Shepherdstown, 
Hagerstown, Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Lewis- 
town, and Williamsburg. The total receipts were 

[35] 



fim €n0^\^ luti^eran O^urcl^ 

$519.05^ and the expenses $71.00. Mr. McCron was 
given permission to preach on the following Sunday 
in the Liberty Street Methodist Church, both morn- 
ing and evening, and a collection was taken at the 
evening service for the benefit of the Lutheran con- 
gregation. 

A committee reported that they had made a con- 
tract to have Venetian blinds placed in the church for 
the sum of $110. Thanks were tendered to Mr. 
Samuel Holman, of Harrisburg, Pa., for plans for 
pulpit which he had kindly furnished. It was decided 
to paint the pulpit and the chancel recess white, 
and the blinds green. Mr. McCron was requested to 
make a se'cond visitation of churches ''through the 
neighboring counties" for the purpose of collecting 
funds. 

Early in September Mr. McCron reported funds 
from his second trip amounting to $216.53, contribu- 
ted by the congregations in Blairsville, Somerset, 
Cumberland, Berlin, and Carlisle. 

The church building was completed well within 
contract time, and we find a record of September 14, 
showing that the Council met in it for the first time 
on that date. Mr. Weyman was elected delegate to 
represent the congregation at the meeting of Synod. 
The German congregation, consulted in the matter 
of entertainment, reported that they would "find 
places for six preachers and fourteen horses." 

Mr. Weyman stated that a bond for $3,000 would 
become due October 1 and asked Council to adopt 
measures to meet it. Two days later, the Council 
resolved itself into a committee "to beg or borrow" 

[36] 



pamtatt of ti^e Beb. Sloi^n jEcCton 

the necessary funds to pay the bond and to report 
to a meeting three days later. 

The first of October came, but the necessary money 
had not been secured. It was resolved that Mr, 
Weyman be requested to give his notes for the last 
payment on the lot drawn at sixty, ninety, and one 
hundred and twenty days, or if possible, to extend 
the time to six months, the councilmen pledging them- 
selves to use every exertion possible with the mem- 
bers of the Synod and to try every other means to 
raise funds to meet said notes at their maturity. 

There were twenty-nine clergymen and thirteen lay 
delegates present at the meeting of the Synod. This 
was the first convention of the West Pennsylvania 
Synod held west of the Alleghanies. Six synods now 
occupy the territory then covered by that Synod, each 
of which is far stronger than the original body. Ses- 
sions were continued until late Monday night. The 
Minutes of the convention record that Saturday 
evening ' * several important matters and items of un- 
finished business were now called for by some of the 
brethren, but as the choir had made arrangements to 
practice some set pieces. Synod was under the neces- 
sity of adjourning." The Synod resolved to "sus- 
tain the mission in Pittsburgh under the care of 
Mr. McCron for another year," also to "sustain to 
some extent a minister in the German Lutheran 
Church at Pittsburgh, provided that he be approved 
of by the committee." 

The fruition of hopes deferred, of anxieties and 
perplexities bravely endured, was happily realized 
when the congregation was able to occupy its own 
house of worship, and to solemnly dedicate it to 

[37] 



fim €ngli0]^ lutl^emn Ci^urci^ 



Divine service on the first Sunday of October. The 
first service, however, had been held in the lecture 
room on the evening of the Friday preceding, at 
which the Rev. A. H. Lochman, of York, Pa., 
preached. The Holy Communion was administered, 
the members of the Synod participating in this 
service. 

At the dedicatory service on Sunday morning the 
church was crowded to its capacity. The Rev. Drs. 
Charles Philip Krauth and S. S. Schmucker, of 
Gettysburg, Pa., assisted the pastor. Rev. Mr. 
McCron. In addition to the formal act of dedication, 
Dr. Schmucker preached a sermon which he after- 
wards published under the title, "A Portraiture of 
American Lutheranism." The Mozart Musical 
Society, having offered their services, occupied the 
gallery and conducted the music, with instrumental 
accompaniment. 

Fifty years later Dr. Passavant, referring to this 
event, wrote: "The building consecrated was the first 
English Lutheran church in any city west of the 
Alleghanies. It was to bear an important part in the 
history of this Communion from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific. It was to become the seat and centre of 
doctrinal, educational, and merciful influences which 
will be felt to the end of time." ^ 

The Sunday School was the first to occupy its new 
home, having met here September the 13th, 1840. 
The German congregation, which Father Heyer had 
organized, and which in later years entered the Mis- 
souri Synod and is now located on High Street, had 



' The Workman, July 24, 1890. 

[38] 



2. ^ 



'r, of I 



\fr to tb 



become 



J was th 



'0. 



_1 



pamvatt of tl^e Eeb* Sjoi^n j^cCron 

been the first to erect its own church building, which 
had been dedicated the first Sunday in April of this 
year. This was built on the northwest corner of 
Sixth and Grant Streets, and for five months the 
Sunday School of the First Church had met in the 
gallery of this church. Indeed the Sunday School had 
made no less than five removals since the date of its 
organization, and during this time had maintained 
its regular sessions. Monthly meetings of the 
teachers, as well as meetings of the Council and the 
midweek services of the congregation, had been held 
at the residences of members. 

The School entered the new church with eight 
teachers and sixty-four scholars. Sept. 14 the 
Teachers' Association elected Mr. John R. Hersh 
superintendent. The city was districted and com- 
mittees were appointed "to collect scholars for the 
Sunday School." The Church Council was in hearty 
sympathy with the work of the School and presum- 
ably the pastors were too, but there is no record of 
a pastor's having attended a meeting of the Teachers' 
Association until 1844, when the Rev. Mr. Smith was 
present. Succeeding pastors gave close personal 
attention to the work of the School. 

October 12, Mr. McCron was requested to make 
another visit to Eastern churches to make collec- 
tions. A committee was appointed to prepare deeds 
to be given to purchasers of pews. The price for the 
rent of pews was fixed at from six to fifteen per cent, 
of their assessed valuation, and the rent for the cur- 
rent year was fixed at eight per cent, for pews already 
sold, and fourteen per cent, for rented pews. It was 
further decided that payments on pews sold be as 

[39] 



Jftm (Bnq.m)^ lutl^emn Ci^urcl^ 

follows : one-fourth in hand, one-fourth in five months, 
one-fourth in fourteen months, and the balance in 
twenty-three months; and those sold in the interim 
in this proportion. It was resolved ''that Pews 67 
and 69 be presented to Mr. George Weyman, and that 
a regular deed be made to him, his heirs and assigns 
forever, as a small token of gratitude for what he 
has done for the congregation." 

At the meeting next month, Mr. Weyman person- 
ally thanked the Church Council for its offer of the 
two pews, but declined to accept them and asked that 
the resolution conveying them be repealed, which re- 
quest the Council granted. 

The Odean Singing Society was notified that they 
could no longer be allowed the use of the school- 
room, and it was decided that this room should be 
used only by the Sunday School and for other re- 
ligious meetings of the congregation. The Mozart 
Society, however, was later given permission to meet 
here for rehearsals. 

In December the pastor reported, as the result of 
his "last trip over the mountains," collections 
amounting to $464.00. The expenses incurred were 
$70.49. 

The election for Church Officers was fixed for the 
first Monday in January at 2 p.m., and three persons 
were apjDointed to serve as tellers. In conducting 
elections the tellers had a list of the candidates and 
the voters marked a stroke opposite the names of 
their choice. When the voters ceased to appear the 
polls were closed. The pastor announced that the 
Communion would be administered January 10: A 
motion prevailed that a protracted meeting be held 

[40] 



l^ajsJtotate of ti^e Mt\). gioi^n jHcCton 

at that period. At this time services preparatory to 
the Communion were held on the Saturday afternoon 
preceding in the lecture-room, when a sermon was 
preached and the formula of confession and absolu- 
tion was read by the pastor. At the conclusion of 
the service, the secretary took his place at a table in 
front of the pulpit and recorded the names of those 
who announced to him their intention to commune. 

February 8, 1841, Mr. C. S. Passavant reported that 
he had examined the accounts for 1840 and found 
them to be correct, with balances due as follows: 

To George Weyman $9,645 51 

To H. W. Caufman 516 57 

To Jeremiah Ritz 432 94 

$10,595 02 

A Sinking Fund Society was formed for the liqui- 
dation of the Church debt by gathering monthly con- 
tributions. Mr. McCron's salary was advanced from 
three hundred dollars to seven hundred dollars per 
annum. 

The interests of the Sunday School were kept in 
mind and the Council appointed a committee of three 
to visit it occasionally. The first effort for missions 
was made March 7, 1841, when Mr. McCron ad- 
dressed the School on the subject. The mission col- 
lection reported April 4 amounted to two dollars. 
The next year $15.65 were contributed for this cause. 

July 12, it was resolved that any pewholder being 
six months in arrears for pew rent should forfeit 
the use of his pew, after thirty days notice had been 
given. Beginning with the following January, the 
rent for pews was reduced, as follows: Those sold, 

[41] 



firjeit €nq\i&) lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

from eight to six per cent., and those rented, from 
fourteen to ten per cent., of their assessed valuation. 
A collector of pew rents was authorized at a com- 
pensation of five per cent. It was decided to discon- 
tinue the afternoon meetings and to hold them "in 
the evening at candle light." 

In January, 1842, the sale of the following pews was 
reported : 

To Samuel Murray $112 50 

To Samuel Hubley 135 00 

To Mrs. Rahm 120 00 

To P. Shoenberger 110 00 $477 50 

Pew rents $774 90 

Collections on above 503 44 

March 14, a report was made of cash received dur- 
ing the year, as follows: 

For rent and sale of pews $601 98 

Subscriptions and donations 524 03 

Weekly collections 253 73 

Rent for room in basement 60 00 

$1,439 74 

Mr. Weyman submitted a notice from Robert 
McConnell, stating that judgment had been procured 
in favor of Sharpless & Company which must be 
satisfied on or before the 20th inst. or the church 
would be offered for sale by the Sheriff on April 25. 

March 26, the pastor tendered his resignation. It 
was laid on the table for future action. At a subse- 
quent meeting Mr. Peter Graff was elected a member 
of Council. Upon Mr. Weyman 's motion a Committee 
on Finance was appointed to take charge of the finan- 

[42] 



j^ajstorate of ti^e Mtt. gioi^n jEcCron 

cial affairs of the congregation, Messrs. Weyman, 
Ritz, and Graff being appointed. The Juvenile Total 
Abstinence Society of the Sunday School was per- 
mitted the use of the schoolroom once a week ' ' so long 
as they conducted themselves in an orderly and quiet 
manner. ' ' 

For more than a year the Sunday School Teachers' 
Association had held no meeting. An earnest effort 
was made to reorganize this work, and May 31, 1842, 
Mr. John E. Hersh was elected superintendent and 
Wm. Gillespie, secretary and treasurer. An article 
in the Constitution was changed to read: 

" No person shall be elected President of this Society 
unless he be a member of good standing in this Church, a 
zealous advocate of Sabbath Schools, a determined enemy 
of Sabbath breaking, and willing at all times to open or 
close the sessions of the School, our society business meetings, 
and our society social prayer-meetings by prayer," 

The situation was gloomy indeed and the faithful 
members must have been sorely discouraged. The 
Parish Bulletin, of Oct. 14, 1894, records the follow- 
ing action of the Council when it elected Mr. F. A. 
Heisely delegate to the Synod in the fall of 1842. 

'' Resolved, that our delegate to the West Pennsylvania 
Synod he instructed to confer with that body on the subject 
of the missionary station at Pittsburgh, and enter into any 
arrangement which the expression of the Synod may 
warrant. ' ' 

Also the following from the minutes of the Alle- 
ghany Synod (which was organized this year and to 
which the delegate was evidently sent finally), dated 
Hollidaysburg, Pa., Sept. 9, 1842: 

[43] 



fim Cnglijsjl^ JLutl^etan Ci^utcl^ 

" Mr. F. A. Heisely made a plea in behalf of Pittsburgh, 
stating that unless aid be rendered the congregation they 
could not retain the services of their pastor. Whereupon 
pledges to the amount of $100 were given by members of 
the Synod." 

Dr. Geissinger comments upon this as follows: 
''The First Church was also once a child that needed 
to be ministered to, even as she has now for many 
years in her maturity generously ministered to others. 
. . . How little, comparatively, we know of the 
difficulties and trials of our fathers in their faithful 
and noble efforts to maintain and promote the 
Faith." 

Mr. McCron had continued to serve the congrega- 
tion, but on November 9, 1842, he requested a settle- 
ment of his account, having accepted a call from New 
Lancaster, Ohio. At a subsequent meeting, the fol- 
lowing was unanimously adopted: 

" We, the undersigned, members of the Vestry of the 
First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Pittsburgh, 
Pa., take great pleasure in certifying that our beloved 
pastor, Rev. John IMcCron, has ever sustained whilst among 
us an unsullied and unimpeached moral character. His 
principles and doctrines, so far as we can judge, have been 
strictly evangelical, and in our opinion he is fully qualified 
to discharge the duties of his high vocation. We cannot, 
however, help our deep sorrow that we have to separate, and 
in doing so our sincere and fervent prayer is that the Great 
Head of the Church will abundantly reward him for his 
labors of love in our midst. ' ' 

Mr. McCron began his ministry in Pittsburgh. Tall 
and well-proportioned, with a dignified carriage, a 
pleasant countenance with large, expressive eyes, and 

[44] 



pamtatt of ti^e m\>. 3|o]^n jEcCron 

engaging social gifts, he made a favorable impres- 
sion at once. Possessing a sonorous voice, a fluent 
delivery and a style animated and at times even ex- 
cessively florid, he was popular as a preacher and the 
evening services attracted large audiences. He was 
especially admired and befriended by the Methodists 
for whom he repeatedly preached and who were very 
kind to the feeble Lutheran congregation. Leaving 
Pittsburgh he served congregations in Lancaster, 
0., Pikeland, Still Valley, and Norristown, Pa., 
Rhinebeck, N. Y., Middletown, Md., and for twelve 
years was located in Baltimore, Md., as the pastor, 
first of the Monument St. Church and then of the 
West Lexingion St. Lutheran Church. He was for 
several years Principal of the Hagerstown Female 
Seminary. Roanoke College conferred the degree of 
Doctor of Divinity upon him in 1857. After brief 
pastorates in Bloomsburg, Pottsville, and Philadel- 
phia he died in the latter city, April 26, 1881, in the 
seventy-fourth year of his age. He is spoken of by 
those who knew him in his maturity as "unrivalled 
for readiness, fluency, and glowing oratory." 

During his pastorate in Pittsburgh a condition of 
unwonted excitement pervaded the country. The 
presidential campaign of 1840 was unrivalled in in- 
tensity and in the mode of conducting the campaign. 
Within a few days following the dedication of the 
church, an immense Whig convention was held in 
Pittsburgh. This brought thousands from remote 
distances, undoubtedly the largest gathering in pro- 
portion to the size of the city ever held here. A 
number of the members of the Synod remained after 
adjournment to witness the demonstration. The 

[45] 



fim €nq,\i?f]^ JLut\)txan €^mt\) 

death of President Harrison one month after his in- 
auguration was a great shock to the country. A day 
of national humiliation and prayer was observed and 
the churches of the city were crowded with devout 
congregations, the First Church for the first time 
being draped in mourning. 

Besides the political ferment, there were various 
developments of fanaticism. A temperance Society, 
originating in Baltimore and called the Washing- 
tonians, held meetings nightly in the churches for 
many weeks with unabated crowds in attendance. 
Addresses were made by reformed drunkards who 
detailed in a shocking manner their degraded ex- 
ploits and applauded the Society's work in their re- 
formation, and urged all present to sign the pledge 
which was in charge of officers of the meeting. So 
widespread was the excitement that the volunteer fire 
engine companies, which then constituted that de- 
partment, paraded the streets at night, carrying 
torches and singing popular temperance songs. 

Another extravagant development was the predic- 
tion of the impending destruction of the world, which 
was set forth with terrifying energy from stands 
on the butcher blocks in the Market House and from 
elevated positions at prominent street corners. A 
distinct sect, calling themselves Millerites, actually 
prepared ascension robes in which to be caught up 
in the air at the second coming of Christ. 

This fanatical spirit manifested itself, often with 
painful extravagances, in the churches of various 
denominations in what was popularly called "new 
measures," the influence of which was traceable for 
many years. 

[46] 



CHAPTER V 

pamtatt of tl^e met. B^illiam ^. ^mit}) 

1843-1844 




rN unsuccessful effort was made 
to secure the Eev. Samuel 
Sprecher, of Martinsburg, Va., 
as the successor of Mr. McCron. 
Arrangements were made to sup- 
ply the pulpit during the vacancy 
"at any salary not exceeding 
five dollars for each sermon." 

An invitation was extended to the General Synod 
to hold its next session, in 1845, in Pittsburgh. 

The Finance Committee reported that the total 
indebtedness of the congregation to Mr. Weyman 
amounted to $13,504.30. Messrs. Graif and Yeager 
were requested to solicit aid from Harrisburg and 
Philadelphia churches in the liquidation of the Church 
debt, while absent on a proposed business trip to the 
East. 

Early in April, 1843, it was announced that the Rev. 
William H. Smith, of Charleston, South Carolina, 
had been secured as pastor at a salary of $600.00, 
and that he was expected to arrive in a few days. 

Mr. Smith was strikingly in contrast with his pred- 
ecessor in every respect. Slight of build, with a 
quiet and pleasing address, he lacked the oratorical 
abilities of Mr. McCron, but in practical efficiency 
he was his superior. Not depending exclusively upon 

[47] 



fim Cnglijsi^ luti^eran €^nu^ 

his efforts as a preacher, he labored zealously as a 
pastor to promote the interests of the congregation. 
In his brief pastorate he added a number to the 
membership, Messrs. W. C. and Thomas H. Lane 
being included in his confirmation class. He secured 
various improvements in the church building. The 
most welcome was the introduction of gas for illumi- 
nation, though when this was done an immense 
chandelier, constructed of iron tubing, was suspended 
from the centre of the church. This was really a 
deformity, unattractive in appearance and a failure 
in the diffusion of light, while it obstructed the view 
of the preacher from a considerable number of pews 
in the rear. 

To aid in securing funds to meet these expendit- 
ures it was proposed to hold a fair, and in order to 
attract public attention, the pastor, by a resolution 
of Council, was authorized to visit Washington, D. C, 
in an endeavor to obtain permission from the Custis 
family to bring General Washington's tent, which 
they owned and greatly prized, to Pittsburgh for ex- 
hibition. Mr. Smith, being a native of Georgetown, 
D. C, was personally acquainted with the Custis 
family, and obtained their consent, though never be- 
fore or since did they permit the tent to go beyond 
their protection. The tent, on its arrival in the city, 
was escorted to its destination by the Duquesne 
Greys. The fair was held July 4, in a storeroom on 
Wood Street, a few doors from Diamond Street. The 
tent was set up on the second floor and was carefully 
guarded day and night. The Council, in returning 
it, passed grateful acknowledgments to the Hon. 
G. W. P. Custis and invited him to visit the city. 

[48] 




i£. 



m 




INTERIOR OF THE SEVENTH AVENUE CHURCH 



■ [' .11, 

the 

lias H. Lane 

He secured 

;h building. The 

of gas for illumi- 

one an immense 

Mspended 

really a 

ea ranee and a failure 

* 1— ^ ^M the view 

! of pews 



to visit Washington, D. C, 

• .n from the Custis 

toT)''^ tent, which 






K'tnniiiig 
t«he Hon. 



pamtatt of ti^e !Set. William f . ^miti^ 

In the interests of the same effort to secure funds, 
there is also a record of October 9 that Mr. Weyman 
reported the proceeds of Col. Lehmanow sky's lec- 
tures $110.00, and that $55.00 were appropriated to 
the Church. 

January 9, 1844, Mr. Thomas H. Lane was elected 
librarian of the Sunday School. March 4 of this year, 
the Council accepted a bill from Mr. Weyman for 
$810.25 interest on Church debt for one year, and 
ordered it paid "as soon as the money could be 
secured." 

At the same meeting, the pastor, having been in 
Pittsburgh less than a year, tendered his resignation, 
occasioned by the condition of his health and the 
advice of his physicians that the atmosphere was un- 
favorable to his recovery. His letter closes with the 
prayer that "the Grreat Shepherd and Bishop of 
Souls may continue to water your Zion with copious 
effusions of His rich and saving grace and that Christ 
may hold in His right hand the candlestick which now 
burns with its healthful and cheering glow in the 
midst of your devoted and faithful flock. ' ' He warmly 
recommended the Rev. William A. Passavant of 
Baltimore as his successor, and submitted a letter 
he had written him urging him to come. The Council 
authorized a committee to extend a call to Mr. 
Passavant, at a salary of five hundred dollars. 

March 25, an extended communication was received 
through Mr. Smith from Mr. Passavant, explaining 
his position in Baltimore and declining the call. 
April 22, Mr. Passavant was present at a special 
meeting of the Council and was introduced by Mr. 
Weyman. He stated that if the call from this congre- 

4 [49] 



fmt enq\i^\^ Luti^eran €^uxc)^ 

gation should be repeated, lie would be willing to 
accept. It was unanimously agreed to extend the call 
again to Mr. Passavant. 

The resignation of Mr. Smith was formally accep- 
ted May 14 by the following unanimous resolution: 

' ' With deepest regret, we hereby accept the resignation of 
our beloved Pastor, the Rev. W. H. Smith. We can with 
pleasure bear testimony to his uprightness and Christian 
deportment and to his kindness and love to his charge which 
has endeared him to the congregation. In parting with him, 
we cannot refrain from expressing our sincere regard and 
love for his zeal and devotion to the interests of the Church 
which fully marked his short sojourn in our midst. Our 
prayer is that the Father of all ]\Iercies may restore him to 
his wonted health and afford him a field of usefulness which 
has so satisfactorily characterized him here." 

Mr. Smith, who was born in Georgetown, D. C, in 
1816, had, before coming to Pittsburgh, served as 
assistant to the Rev. Dr. Bachman of Charleston, 
S. C, and had married a lady of that city. He also 
served congregations in Barren Hill, Pa., St. Louis, 
Mo., and Baltimore, Md. He was much interested in 
scientific studies, especially chemistry and electricity, 
and developed a number of inventions. He is also 
said to have received the degree of M.D. He visited 
London, England, in the interest of his inventions, 
and died there.^ 



Pennsylvania College Book, p. 198. 



CHAPTER VI 

^ajstomte of tl^e met. ^illtam a. 

1844-1855 




HE entrance of the Rev. W. A. 
Passavant as pastor of the con- 
gregation was not only an 
epoch in its history, but from 
it followed far-reaching influ- 
ences in the development of 
Lutheranism throughout West- 
ern Pennsylvania, and other influences which ulti- 
mately extended beyond human calculation. 

For extended notice of his relations to the congre- 
gation and to general Church operations we must 
refer to the complete biography by the Rev. Dr. 
Gerberding, '^Life and Letters of W. A. Passavant, 
D.D." 

His family was among the early settlers of Western 
Pennsylvania, and while the home was in Zelienople, 
the family had many acquaintances among prominent 
people of Pittsburgh, and thus especial attention was 
attracted to the young and comparatively unknown 
congregation, by the arrival of its new pastor. 

Youthful, handsome, and gracious in manner, his 
popularity was immediate and general. He put new 
courage and life into the disheartened and debt-bur- 
dened flock. His sympathies and activities soon ex- 

[51] 



firjSt Cnglijs]^ Luti^emn Ci^urci^ 

tended beyond the bounds of his immediate parish. 
Eeguhir services were held in the jail, and the poor, 
the sick, and the neglected were sought and relieved. 

This was a period of great unrest and of great 
looseness of doctrine and practice in the Lutheran 
Church in this country. With practically no Lutheran 
literature of an historical or confessional character in 
the English language, and with a radical professor 
in the Seminary at Gettysburg and equally radical 
editors of the Church papers, it is not strange that 
many of the English pastors were swept off their 
feet by the widespread fanatical movements in the 
country and the **new measure" practices of the 
denominations about them. 

During his pastorate in Baltimore, Mr. Passavant 
had been a "new measure" man, and this spirit 
characterized the early part of his ministry in Pitts- 
burgh. Popular with all classes and all denomina- 
tions, his pulpit ability drew large congregations, 
many of the students of the Presbyterian Theological 
Seminary attending the services quite regularly. 
His "unionistic" tendencies reached their culmina- 
tion in a sei-ies of protracted meetings held jointly 
with the pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
Church, with which denomination he also seriously 
advocated, in the columns of the Lutheran Observer, 
an organic union. 

His activity was incessant, and his missionary 
spirit and farsightedness led him to secure lots and 
to organize Sunday Schools and mission congrega- 
tions in various suburbs and the surrounding coun- 
try. While many of these enterprises date from a 
period later than his connection with the F rst 

[52] 




THE Rev. WILLIAM ALFRED PASSAVANT, D.D. 



i ale parisii. 
J tlie poo)-. 

11 the Lutheran 

'K 110 Lutheran 

liaracter in 

•1 ruuieal prr."' 

and equally 

fir 

; iie 



,(J l/././A«8f,*l 0;j;HJ/. M/KUIW ./ail :HHt ;j 



;ionary 



[3-ij 



4 



pamvatt of ti^e mio. ^tlUam a* ^^ajsjsai^ant 

Cliurcli, yet during his pastorate of eleven years 
work was tlius begun at Grace Church, Birmingham, 
where the Revs. W. R. Roedel and Henry Reck were 
the first pastors; Trinity Church, Allegheny; and Mt. 
Calvary, McKees Rocks, where a frame church was 
dedicated free of debt in the fall of 1853. A lot 
was also bought on Juniata St., Allegheny, and 
a chapel built (1850) where Emanuel Church was 
later organized, but the chapel was destroyed by a 
hurricane when under roof, and this enterprise was 
for the time abandoned. Sunday Schools were also 
organized in Bayardstown and Lawrenceville, but 
were later discontinued. Pledges to the amount of 
nearly $300 were also given by members of the First 
Church towards the support of a missionary for 
Bayardstown and East Liberty, and in 1850 the Pitts- 
burgh Synod placed the ''Bayardstown and East 
Liberty Mission" on its roll of missions. The Rev. 
J. K. Plitt served it for a brief time. Twelve hun- 
dred dollars were subscribed by members of the First 
Church toward the erection of a chapel in Bayards- 
town, but the field was abandoned in 1852. 

June 10, 1844, on motion of the pastor, the Council 
decided that the Lord's Supper should be adminis- 
tered on the last Sunday of every other month, thus 
providing for six communions a year. 

For several years the Sunday School celebrated the 
Fourth of July by an outing. On this day in this year 
(1844) Mr. Passavant addressed the school ''in a 
beautiful grove on the banks of the Allegheny, ' ' mak- 
ing an earnest appeal for the mission cause. At the 
close of the year the missionary boxes returned sixty 
dollars. For some years the mission offerings were 

[53] 



fiv^t c^gU^i^ luti^emn Ci^urci^ 

sent to Father Heyer in India, and later were devoted 
to Home Missions. 

August 6, the Teachers' Association resolved to 
begin a new School in the Fifth Ward to be known 
as ''The English Lutheran Sunday School, No. 2." 
The Rev. Mr. Schweigert, then a Bible colporteur, 
collected scholars. The first session was held Sept. 1, 
1844, with 43 scholars. By January there were 132 
enrolled. The School met for some time in a school- 
house. About this same time Sunday School work 
was begun in Allegheny, also, but was soon discon- 
tinued, to be resumed successfully later. A School 
was also begun this fall in Birmingham in the house 
of Mrs. Millinger. 

November 11, a committee was appointed "to con- 
fer with Brother Fownes, or some other person, on 
the subject of leading the singing in the church and 
instructing the choir." $25.00 per annum was the 
price fixed for the service. 

January 13, 1845, there is a record that "the regu- 
lar business of Council was postponed on account of the 
protracted meeting." 

As early as 1831 ten pastors of Western Penn- 
sylvania had met in Grreensburg, Pa., and had dis- 
cussed the advisability of organizing a new Synod. 
The need of closer association among the ministers 
and of better provision for the scattered people was 
felt by all, and a resolution looking toward organiza- 
tion was unanimously adopted. But the older 
Synods, especially Ohio, disapproved of the project 
and it was dropped.^ 

^ Burgess, " The General Synod in Western Pennsylvania ", p. 
49, et seq. 

[54] 



pamtatt of ti^e Bet» l^ilUam a. l^a^jsatant 

Mr. Passavant was the successful organizer of the 
Pittsburgh Synod. In September, 1844, he had 
preached at the consecration of a modest brick 
church in Zelienople, which was but the second Eng- 
lish Lutheran Church in all the territory now covered 
by the Pittsburgh Synod. He here proposed to the 
Eev. Gottlieb Bassler, who later became the first 
president of the General Council, the formation of a 
local Synod, and maintained an unceasing agitation 
on the subject which finally resulted in a meeting 
of eight ministers and six lay delegates in the First 
Church, Pittsburgh, January 15, 1845. The local 
congregation appointed Mr. George Weyman as its 
delegate and arranged for the entertainment of the 
visitors. 

The organization was effected with the following 
officers: President, the Rev. Michael J. Steck of 
Greensburg; Secretary, the Eev. Gottlieb Bassler of 
Zelienople. President Steck represented seven con- 
gregations, and Mr. Bassler, five. In addition to 
Mr. Passavant, the other pastors present on this 
memorable occasion were, the Revs. George F. 
Ehrenfeldt, of Clarion, two congregations; Abram 
Weils, of Ginger Hill, two congregations; Elihu 
Rathbun, of Mercer, three congregations; Samuel 
D. Witt, of Shippenville, two congregations; and 
David Earhart, of Leechburg, four congregations. 
The six lay delegates were Messrs. Jacob S. Steck, 
Greensburg; George Weyman, Pittsburgh; C. S. 
Passavant, Zelienople; James Griffin, Mercer; Fred- 
erick Carsten, Scenery Hill; and Joseph Shoop, 
Freeport. 

[55J 



firjst Cngli)^]^ Luti^eran Ci^urcl^ 

The vitality and missionary energy which charac- 
terized this movement is manifest in the fact that 
in the first ten years of the Sjmod's history no less 
than sixty new churches were built. During much 
of this time, in addition to all his other labors, young 
Mr. Passavant was the Missionary President of the 
Synod. 

February 22, 1845, at a special meeting of Council, 
thirty- six new members were received, among them 
Mr. Asa H. Waters, afterwards ordained to the min- 
istry and long closely associated with Dr. Passavant 
in his charitable work. 

April 1, the treasurer's report for the year showed 
the income to have been $1205.29, with expenses of 
$1145.35. 

Two calamities of unusual severity befell Pitts- 
burgh during ^Mr. Passavant's pastorate. One was the 
conflagration of 1845 and the other the virulent out- 
break of cholera in 1854. 

April 10, 1845, a large part of the business section 
of the city was destroyed by a fire which began at 
Ferry and Second Streets, and, widening from its 
place of origin, swept the warehouses on Water 
Street, the Monongahela Bridge, and along Wood 
Street to Diamond Alley and on Smithfield Street 
to the building of Mr. Weyman, which then stood at 
the corner of Diamond Alley. It required the most 
strenuous efforts to save the latter, and the final 
achievement was recognized as a special Providence, 
as Mr. Weyman had but recently rebuilt after a fire 
that had destroyed his property, and had his new 
premises gone it would have been a loss almost 
irremediable for him and for the congregation. One- 

[56] 



pamtatt of t]^e Beb* William a* ^^ajcijsatiant 

third of the entire city was left a smoking ruin. 
Eleven hundred houses, stores, and warehouses were 
burned in a district covering more than twenty 
squares. Two thousand families were made home- 
less. The State Legislature appropriated $50,000 
for relief at once and. remitted taxes. Further con- 
tributions amounting to $200,000 were received from 
eighteen States of the Union. 

Many of the members of the congregation lost their 
homes and their stores, and some were forced into 
bankruptcy. All this was a sore trial to the congre- 
gation burdened with debt. Mr. Passavant labored 
indefatigably to relieve the distress of his people and 
of the community, and even postponed for several 
weeks his marriage to Miss Eliza Walter of Balti- 
more, which had been appointed for the first of May. 

April 26, the treasurer was instructed to have the 
church building insured in an Eastern company. Mr. 
Weyman stated that the interest on the Church debt 
for two years ending on the first day of January 
last, amounting to $1,640.00, was still due him. He 
proposed to give the interest to the Church if the 
Council would give him a note for $1,000 to be paid 
when the debt was reduced to $5,000. The proposal 
was promptly accepted and a note ordered to be 
drawn in his favor. 

The Sunday School celebrated the Fourth of July 
by an excursion. Mr. Graff "offered the use of his 
canal-boats for the occasion." Schools No. 2 and 3 
(the latter located on Fourth Street), and the Alle- 
gheny School were invited to accompany the parent 
School. School No. 3 did not accept the invitation 

[57] 



fiv^t €nq\i^\^ JLutl^eran €\^nvc\^ 

because the parents were "apprehensive of acci- 
dents. ' ' 

During the summer the pastor's salary was ad- 
vanced to eight hundred dollars per annum. 

November 10 a committee reported the net pro- 
ceeds resulting from a lecture and concert, the lecture 
by the pastor, to have been $103.54. One hundred dol- 
lars were applied to the interest on the Church debt. 
The music had been in charge of Mr. Fownes and the 
Committee reported that in recognition of his ser- 
vices they had "presented to his son a bass viol." 

December 9, the Council considered the necessity 
of securing $300.00 before January 1 and resolved 
to hold a concert to assist in raising the amount. 
At this meeting the Council unanimously resolved to 
"assemble earlier and spend a short time in prayer," 
a custom which seems to have continued for many 
years. One of the lay members always opened the 
meeting with prayer and the pastor offered the 
closing prayer. 

Even this early in the congregation's history we 
find a record of January 13, 1846, that a committee 
was appointed to ascertain how many copies of a 
history of the Church could be disposed of, if pre- 
pared and printed in pamphlet form, and later it was 
resolved to print one thousand copies. 

Breaking down under the strain of labors, most 
of them self-imposed, Mr. Passavant sailed for 
Europe in the summer of this year. He was ap- 
pointed by the Pittsburgh Synod its delegate to the 
World Convention of the Evangelical Alliance, which 
met in London in August. This trip, with its oppor- 
tunities for meeting representative Christian men in 

[58] 



pamvatt of t^e Mt\). William a. l^ajijsatjant 

Europe, and for the close inspection of great religious 
and philanthropic enterprises in England and Ger- 
many, brought most important influences to bear 
upon his future. Much of this is reflected in a lengthy 
letter which he addressed to the congregation in 
Pittsburgh, writing from London, October 18, 1846. 
Upon his return, he was joyfully received by the 
congregation, and the Sunday School greeted him 
from the gallery of the church by singing a hymn 
composed for that occasion by William T. Gillespie. 

During his absence, the Eev. Eliot E. Swift, who 
had just completed his studies in the Western Theo- 
logical Seminary, and who was a son of the Rev. 
Dr. Swift, who then and for many years served the 
leading Presbyterian Church in Allegheny with con- 
spicuous ability, preached regularly and very accept- 
ably at the morning service. 

Mr. Passavant threw himself into the work in the 
congregation, the missions, and the Synod with re- 
newed vigor. He had quite lost his enthusiasm for 
''new measures," however, and sought to introduce 
more conservative methods. But he could not escape 
the harvest of his own sowing, and he found distrust 
of his new positions among many of his former col- 
leagues in the ministry and strenuous opposition to 
the simplest liturgy and other conservative innova- 
tions in his own congregation. 

While abroad Mr. Passavant had collected some 
moneys for a Church cemetery, and in April, 1847, he 
reported to the Council that he had received a letter 
from a lady in Switzerland enclosing a draft for two 
hundred francs for this purpose. It was resolved 
that the Church subscribe for thirteen lots, a plot 

[59] 



ifim (Bnq\i^]^ Uit\^nan €\)uuli) 

30x65 feet, in Allegheny Cemetery. May 10, Mr. 
Passavant reported having collected $175.10 alto- 
gether for this purpose. 

September 6, we find the resolution that ' ' the young 
men who have offered to procure a leader of choir 
to lead the singing of the congregation be author- 
ized to do so, with permission to choose their own 
leader, and that the Council appropriate the sum of 
fifty dollars per annum to be paid quarterly as a 
compensation for their services." 

The pastor's salary was increased one hundred dol- 
lars at the end of this year. 

But little is recorded in the congregational records 
of 1848 and the following year, though a valuable his- 
torical sketch of the Sunday School, prepared by 
Mr. W. C. Lane, the secretary, is recorded in the 
minute book of the Association under date of March 7, 
1848, Mr. Passavant, however, was busily engaged 
in work which soon developed into enterprises of the 
most important and far-reaching character. 

Dissatisfaction with the theology and the spirit of 
the Lutheran Observer was general at this time 
among the more conservative of the Lutheran clergy. 
This fact, coupled with an unflagging missionary zeal, 
led Mr. Passavant to begin his first journalistic ven- 
ture in The Missionary, which first appeared in Janu- 
ary, 1848, as a small four-leaved monthly. For some 
time the papers were delivered at the pastor's resi- 
dence, then on Hand Street (now Ninth Street), close 
to the bank of the river. In the early years of this 
enterprise, a few young men of the congregation 
assisted in preparing the packages for mailing and 

[60] 



pamvatt of t^t met. 3^illiam X l^a^jsabant 

usually about midnight carried the bundles to the 
post office. 

Devoted to the interests of Inner, Home, and 
Foreign Missions, the paper, which soon grew into 
a large family weekly, opened a new era in the 
Church's thought and activity. Mr. Passavant early 
manifested those qualities which in their maturity 
stamped him one of the great religious editors. 
Through the columns of The Missionary, and later 
of The Workman, he not only stimulated local mis- 
sionary and philanthropic activity within the bounds 
of the Pittsburgh Synod, but he awakened the entire 
Church to the opportunities and responsibilities of 
the great Lutheran Diaspora in the West. The cause 
of the Germans and the Scandinavians was unceas- 
ingly advocated and the foundations were laid by 
his efforts for uncounted enterprises which have 
since developed into vigorous congregations and 
Synods, Colleges and Seminaries, Hospitals, Homes, 
and religious and philanthropic institutions of every 
description. 

At this time there was no Protestant Hospital in 
the United States. The Mercy Hospital had just been 
established in Pittsburgh by the Roman Catholics 
(1847). Mr. Passavant's desire to found such a work 
and to introduce into this country the Protestant 
Deaconess movement, which he had studied so en- 
thusiastically at Kaiserswerth and elsewhere in Ger- 
many, found its first expression in the renting of a 
building in Allegheny in the spring of 1848, but it was 
found impossible to begin the work until January of 
the following year. The first patients were two dis- 
charged soldiers from the Mexican War, whom, in 

[61] 



fim CngU^]^ Luti^eran €^mt\^ 

the absence of nurses or doctors as yet, Mr. Passa- 
vant cared for with his own hands, assisted by his 
friend, the Eev. Asa H. Waters, then a student. 

Pastor Theodore Fliedner of Kaiserswerth arrived 
in July with four deaconesses to inaugurate the 
work, and the first Protestant Hospital and the first 
Protestant Deaconess work in America were launched 
in faith and hope by the service of consecration Sun- 
day afternoon, July 17, 1849. Later the Deaconess 
work was fully organized and the Institution of Prot- 
estant Deaconesses of the County of Allegheny, Pa., 
legally incorporated. 

Passing now to the immediate history of the First 
Church itself, we find the only record of interest in 
this year to be a brief but clear indication of the 
growing unrest in the congregation, and in the 
Church at large, on all subjects touching, however 
remotely, questions of liturgical reform. Septem- 
ber 17, the Council voted on the question of placing 
a railing in front of the pulpit, and consent was 
refused. 

At the beginning of 1850 the Church Council con- 
sisted of the following: Elders, George Weyman, 
Henry Graff, and Edward Eahm; Deacons, John 
Brown, George Hubley, C. Geissenhainer, J. Dull, 
James Shane, and John R. Hersh; Trustees: G. P. 
Hawk, Andrew Getty, and Thomas H. Lane. 

Mr. Lane, who entered the Council in this year, was 
soon after elected secretary and his name very early 
appears as the delegate to Conference and Synod. 

The Council requested Mr. Passavant to publish 
an historical sketch contained in his sermon preached 

[62] 



pamtatt of ti^e Mt\>. William X pa^m^mt 

on the tenth anniversary of the consecration of the 
Church, and it afterward appeared in The Missionary. 
Early in the year 1851 the Council adopted the sug- 
gestion of Mr. Passavant in the following resolution : 

* ' That in view of the door of usefulness which Providence 
seems to have opened for the erection of a Church in the 
Ninth Ward, the Council of this congregation invite the 
co-operation of their brethren and of the Christian public 
to aid in erecting a mission chapel in that part of the city. ' ' 

A committee consisting of Messrs. Graff, Rahm, 
Yeager, and Brown was appointed to seek a suitable 
lot and to solicit subscriptions. 

The propriety of engaging in a protracted meet- 
ing following the services of the next administration 
of the Lord's Supper was discussed and the propo- 
sition was approved! 

In April of this year, the Reformed Presbyterian 
congregation was given permission to hold services 
in the First Church on Sunday afternoons while its 
building was being repaired. 

The propriety of building a house for the sexton 
on the lot in the rear of the church was suggested 
by Mr. Weyman, and Messrs. Weyman, Graff, and 
Hubley were appointed to consider the matter. They 
later reported that the cost would be $675.00 The 
house was built and the rent was fixed at seventy-five 
dollars a year. 

Mr. Passavant early realized the need for a Home 
for Orphans. His immediate inspiration for this may 
have been found in the Jewish Orphan Asylum in 
London, within whose doors he found shelter from 
a driving storm. The growing work of his Infirmary 

[63] 



fim €mli0t) Liitl^eran Ci^urcl^ 



soon demanded this sister charity. There is a record 
of the proposal of such an enterprise as early as 
September, 1851, and in April, 1852, the institution 
was organized in the city and in May, 1854, was re- 
moved to Zelienople, as an Orphans' Home and Farm 
School. Infinite labor was expended in securing 
grounds and buildings and in supporting this work. 
The Orphans' Home at Germantown, Philadelphia, 
was, in a sense, an outgrowth of this work at Zelien- 
ople, and Sister Louisa Marthens, the first deaconess 
consecrated in America, went from Pittsburgh with 
four orphan children to Germantown in March, 1859, 
to organize the new enterprise in the East. 

The year 1854 was marked by the second great 
calamity which befell the city during Mr. Passavant's 
pastorate, the outbreak of cholera, Thursday, Sep- 
tember 14. Forty-six deaths were reported in the 
papers Friday morning, and in two weeks nearly a 
thousand sufferers died. The Infirmary was taxed to 
its utmost capacity, caring for sixty cholera patients 
in addition to thirty or more other patients in the 
house at the time. The sisters were well-nigh over- 
come by their exertions, and one of the physicians, 
Dr. J. H. Nelson, was stricken and died during the 
first week. The number of deaths and the rapidity 
with which its victims perished paralyzed business 
and engrossed the attention of the whole population. 
A member of the Church Council, Mr. John Brown, 
was prostrated with the disease and so desperate was 
his condition that on two succeeding mornings his 
name appeared in the papers in the long lisjt of the 
dead. Members of the congregation assisted Mr. 

[04] 



fXt^f i^nr-Uzh tutV 



ui<' ' ' !'» .*ud Farin 



name 
-load. 



i^aroness g 



pamvatt of t]^e Mtt). William a* ^a^jsatiant 

Brown's family night after night, taking their places 
until his recovery was assured. 

Mention should also be made of the fact that Mr. 
Passavant was largely instrumental in founding 
academies in Zelienople, Leechburg, and Greensburg. 
He interested young men in the work of the ministry, 
and in many instances secured assistance for them in 
their preparation for it. A vast correspondence was 
added to his other cares, and his home was constantly 
visited by English, German, Swedish, and Norwegian 
clergymen and by many others active in religious 
and philanthropic work. 

In all his various missionary and philanthropic 
enterprises Mr. Passavant from the beginning had 
the support of his congregation. His young people 
were trained to be active workers in the missions and 
their elders interested themselves in the Infirmary 
and the Home. The church building itself, on 
Seventh Street, during his pastorate of eleven years, 
was the scene of many memorable events. In addi- 
tion to the organization of the Pittsburgh Synod in 
1845, already referred to, the first collection was 
taken in it for the first Protestant hospital in the 
United States. In 1850 the first American deaconess 
was solemnly set apart for the ministry of mercy 
within its walls, Catherine Louisa Marthens, who had 
been catechized and confirmed by Mr. Passavant. 
Here the Pittsburgh orphans and the deaconesses 
worshipped. The first missionary to Texas, through 
whom the Texas Synod was afterwards organized, 
was commissioned in this church. The same is true 
of the first missionary to Canada, out of whose initial 
labors the Canada Synod grew. The German congre- 

5 [65] 



fiv^t €nq\i^\) Luti^eran Ci^urcl^ 

gation, of which Rev. Wm. Berkemeier became pas- 
tor, was organized in the lecture room of this church. 
Here also the first subscriptions were gathered for 
the erection of the first Swedish churches of the 
West.2 

It was inevitable, however, that burdened by all 
these enterprises, missionary, educational, editorial, 
philanthropic — any one of which could well have 
employed an active man's entire time, and many of 
which, involving the support of hundreds of people, 
were sustained only by the most laborious and untir- 
ing efforts — it was inevitable that the work of the 
congregation should suffer and that the pastor should 
receive widespread criticism from his members. 
Though defending his conduct in an eloquent sermon 
preached in June, 1854, on the occasion of his tenth 
anniversary, Mr. Passavant had long been keenly 
appreciative of the truth of much of the criticism, 
and had realized that his outside interests rendered 
serious congregational work, pastoral visitation, and 
proper preparation for the pulpit, impossible. 

Consequently, January 8, 1855, he offered his resig- 
nation. It was received, and Messrs. Hubley and 
Lane were appointed to prepare an address to the 
retiring pastor, which being afterwards presented in 
the form of quite lengthy and appreciative resolu- 
tions, was unanimously adopted. Owing to the delay 
in securing a pastor, Mr. Passavant continued to 
serve the congregation for six months or more, and 
then became free to devote his entire time to his other 
work, continuing to live in Pittsburgh. 



' The Workman, July 24, 1890. 
[66] 



I^ajstorate of ti^e met. I^tuiam a. pajSjsJabant 

Born at Zelienople, Pa., Oct. 9, 1821, Dr. Passavant 
graduated from Jefferson College in 1840 and from 
the Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 1842. He 
served a congregation in Baltimore for two years, 
and in 1844 removed to Pittsburgh. 

The Missionary was merged into The Lutheran 
and Missionary in 1861, and published in Philadel- 
phia. Mr. Passavant was for years co-editor. In 
1880 he founded The Workman, a bi-weekly published 
at Pittsburgh, and edited it until his death. Penn- 
sylvania College conferred the Doctor's title upon 
him in 1860. He also founded hospitals in Milwaukee, 
Chicago, and Jacksonville, 111., and projected the 
Theological Seminary at Chicago and made its final 
establishment possible. Thiel College was also 
founded largely through his instrumentality. Until 
the day of his death, June 3, 1894, his was one of the 
most forceful and influential personalities in the 
Lutheran Church. The Church in this country has 
probably never had another constructive leader who 
achieved equal success in as many lines of interest — 
missionary, editorial, educational, and philanthropic. 



CHAPTER VII 

pamtatt of t]^e Mt\). Cl^arle^ porterfielD 

1855-1859 




ESSES. Weyman and Lane were 
appointed a committee on cor- 
respondence and were instruct- 
ed to invite the Rev. C. P. 
Krauth, of Winchester, Va., to 
visit the congregation. Mr. 
Krauth declined the invitation. 
Mr. Lane, however, was most earnest in his desire 
to secure, if possible, a strong, conservative man, 
and he was not satisfied to cease all negotiations with 
Mr. Krauth. He was finally authorized by the Coun- 
cil to visit Winchester, personally to urge upon Mr. 
Krauth the acceptance of the invitation, and he was 
able to report later that Mr. Krauth had consented 
to visit Pittsburgh. 

Mr. Krauth arrived February 24, 1855, and was the 
guest of Mr. Graff. He preached the preparatory 
sermon on Friday evening, the principal sermon on 
Sunday morning, and assisted the retiring pastor in 
the administration of Communion in the afternoon. 
The congregation was most favorably impressed, 
and March 5 the Council unanimously extended a 
formal call in the form of resolutions proposed by 
Mr. Hubley. The salary was fixed at fifteen hundred 
dollars a year, 

[68] 



Mr. Passavant, in a letter of March 8, pressed the 
especial claims of the Pittsburgh situation upon Mr. 
Krauth as follows: 

" Through the instrumentahty of the Church in Pitts- 
burg, the Pittsburg Synod was organized just ten years ago, 
and during this time seventy-two Lutheran churches within 
our bounds have been consecrated, and the Gospel has been 
carried to Canada on the North, and to Texas on the South. 
So, to >, the Church in Pittsburg occupies a central position 
between the East and the West, and whatsoever is done for 
religion here tells promptly on the Church in either direc- 
tion. The position a pastor occupies here gives him access 
to many minds from different portions of the land, and the 
seed thus scattered and diffused often springs up again in 
different parts of the most Western States. After a resi- 
dence of nearly eleven years in this place, I can safely say 
that I know of no place in the whole Church where the 
prospects of an able minister are so encouraging, as the 
English Lutheran Church in this city." 

A characteristic letter from Mr. Krauth to Mr. 
Lane, written from Winchester, March 8, is given by 
Dr. Spaeth in his biography of Dr. Krauth,^ which 
must also be consulted for other interesting corres- 
pondence of this period. Parts of the letter are as 
follows : 

" The sheet of paper on which I write is a pleasant 
remembrance of Pittsburg ; it was given me by Mr. Davidson. 
The very bad cold which has almost laid me up and pre- 
vented my writing sooner, if not a remembrance of Pittsburg 
exactly, is a very unpleasant one of my departure from it. 
I took it on Tuesday night; the ears were first suffocating 



' " Charles Porterfield Krauth, D.D., LL.D.," by Adolph Spaeth, 
D.D., LL.D. 

[69] 



fim €nq\i^}^ lutl^eran Ci^urc]^ 

and then cold. I carefully impress it upon my good people, 
who would like to think my bad cold a sort of mild judgment, 
that it was not in going to Pittsburg but in coming from it 
that I took the cold. The cold I could stand, however, with 
some philosophy, gently doctoring it with horehound and 
other time-honored medicaments, but " the question? " 
where am I to get horehound for that? The call and your 
kind note accompanying it have just reached me, and made 
things look graver than ever. I am pondering and praying 
and am in huge perplexity. . . . 

" Reached home Thursday; all well, myself excepted; 
barely able to preach on Sunday. People all up in arms at 
the bare idea of my leaving them — everybody trying to get 
me to say I won't go; effort unsuccessful. On IMonday night 
a meeting (the regular monthly one) of the Council took place. 
Strong speeches, ardent affection; Pittsburg dirty place; 
coal-smoke, cholera, abolitionists, ruin everything here; 
might as well take church key along if I ever left here. No 
place more important than Winchester. Wish some people 
would let other people alone ; wonder why they want our 
minister? We are satisfied, why can't they be? Council 
almost ready to write to your Council and 'give them a bit 
of their mind.' " 

March 26, a lengthy letter was submitted to the 
Council from Mr. Krautli, finally declining the call. 
A long personal letter to Mr. Lane, dated March 20, 
indicates how difficult the decision had been. A few 
sentences are given here: 

" I carried my reply to the call in my pocket for almost 
a week before 1 could summon resolution to put it in the 
office. . . . The truth is that there are respects in which 
this would be a peculiarly unfortunate time for me to leave 
Winchester. I would feel as if I were deserting my. own 
children in their helplessness, leaving a clear, well-defined 
[70] 



pastorate of ti^e M\). Ci^arlejs p. i^rauti^ 

duty for a field, promising, indeed, but not so obviously, not 
so surely designated for my culture as the other. I know 
that my fealty is due to the whole Church; nevertheless, a 
congregation has its claims. "We are subjects of the General 
Government, yet we believe in ' ' States ' ' rights ; we acknowl- 
edge our ties to the human brotherhood, yet we have our 
family attachments and duties. The simple nonformation of 
desired relations never can have attached to it the pain that 
is consequent on breaking up relations existing, strength- 
ened by time, dear by the memory of common joys, hallowed 
by sorrows, and attended by divine blessings. ... I 
have thoroughly pondered the twentieth and twenty-first 
chapters of Acts [to which Mr. Lane had especially invited 
his attention] , and last Sunday morning preached on a part 
of the latter (vv. 8-14) ; but these chapters could only teach 
what is to be done when duty speaks, and could not help me 
to decide what duty was. I came to the conclusion that I 
am already in my Jerusalem, the place of my duties. A 
man may be " bound in the Spirit " to stay as well as to go. 
You wish me to be like Luther. Would that I were! but 
Luther was just as famous for maintaining a position, and 
taking a stand, as for going. His most famous saying indica- 
tive of firmness was : ' ' Hier stehe ich, ' ' which may be freely 
Anglicized : ' ' Here I stay, ' ' which furnishes a motto to my 
very hand. 

" Please write to me very soon and let me know that I 
am not to add to the features of this matter, which have 
already given me so much pain, the additional one of think- 
ing that you will cease to feel an interest in one who will ever 
remain gratefully and affectionately your friend and brother, 

C. P. K." 

The Council now made earnest efforts to look else- 
where for a pastor. Several ministers suggested by 
members of the congregation were invited to supply 
the pulpit, but without impressing the congregation 

[71] 



$im (tn0^\) Hutl^emn Cl^utcl^ 

in favor of extending a call. There is a record of 
April 24, that Mr. Weyman was delegated 'Ho call 
on the Rev. C. W. Schaeffer of Germantown to ascer- 
tain whether he would be willing to take charge of 
the congregation." 

Mr. Lane, however, had not entirely given up hope 
of securing Mr. Krauth. He maintained a constant 
correspondence with him, reporting the conditions 
in the shepherdless congregation and urging a re- 
consideration of the decision. 

August 28, a letter from Mr. Krauth to Mr. Lane 
told of his final yielding. 

' ' If now there is no change whatever in the views of your 
people, if they cannot unite upon some other name, I think 
that God has made it clear to me that it will be my duty to 
accept a renewed and unanimous call. But if there is any 
change, if you can unite upon anyone else, I beg of you to 
do so. . . . Your people ought to know that my habits 
are those of a student; that, though I shall, in the fear of 
God, if I come, try to do all the duties that can reasonably 
be required of a pastor, I shall not be able to satisfy un- 
reasonable demands. If I am to be tested by Brother Passa- 
vant's standard of outdoor and missionary activity, I shall 
be found wanting. Few men will bear comparison with 
him, and of those few I am not one." 

Mr. Lane reported this letter Sept. 1 and a renewed 
call was extended to Mr. Krauth, which he promptly 
accepted. He arrived in Pittsburgh early in Novem- 
ber, and was installed as pastor of the Church by the 
Rev. Dr. Sprecher, of Springfield, Ohio. 

The records of these years are disappointing and 
but little of interest can be gathered from them. 

[72] 



I^ajstotate of ti^e met. €\^avm p. Maut)^ 

September 10, the death of Henry Graff was an- 
nounced and appropriate resolutions were passed. 

April 7, 1856, Mr. George Alexander was selected 
as leader of the choir. Permission was granted for 
the use of a melodeon and thanks were tendered the 
gentlemen who supplied it. 

June 2, Mr. Rahm reported for the committee on 
Church debt that $6,900.00 had been collected, leaving 
a deficiency of $600.00. The members of the Council 
pledged themselves for various amounts as follows: 
Eev. C. P. Krauth, $125.00; Edward Rahm, $100.00; 
Mathew Graff, $100.00; George Weyman, $50.00; 
George Hubley, $50.00; Andrew Getty, $50.00; John 
Brown, $50.00; Thomas H. Lane, $50.00; Thomas 
Philips, $25.00; Total, $600.00. 

Mr. Krauth received the degree of Doctor of 
Divinity from Pennsylvania College during this year 
and from this time we refer to him as Dr. Krauth. 

November 10, the following is recorded: 

** Whereas, a portion of the subscriptions to pay the 
Church debt has been embraced in promissory notes, the 
request is made of Mr. Weyman to release the docket; and 
to protect him in so doing, 

'^ Resolved, That the Church Council will guarantee the 
payment of interest upon same notes until their maturity and 
that Dr. Shoenberger 's subscription be included in this 
obligation." 

This subscription was afterwards paid by the 
Shoenberger estate. 

About this time Mr. Lane was elected treasurer of 
the congregation, and April 13, 1857, he was chosen 
assistant superintendent of the Sunday School. For 

[73] 



ftr^t Cn^Ujsi^ Luti^emn Ci^urci^ 

many years the Sunday School had devoted a great 
deal of attention to its Library. In June, 1857, it was 
reorganized and 390 new books were purchased at a 
cost of $102.08. The needs of the Library and the 
cause of Missions occupy a large part of the Sunday 
School records for many years. 

An interesting item of the time is the appointment 
of a committee ''to confer with neighboring congre- 
gations in order to make a concerted effort to prevent 
the disturbance occasioned by running the omnibuses 
past the churches upon Sabbath." The committee 
later reported success. 

July 8, 1858, the young men in the congregation 
reported that they had collected a sum of money to be 
expended in repairing and improving the church and 
they were given permission to carry out their design. 

The General Sjniod held its nineteenth convention 
in the church be.ginning May 19, 1859. At this con- 
vention the Melanchthon Synod was admitted. 

The minutes of the Council for many years give 
ample evidence that membership in the congregation 
was regarded as a most serious responsibility. Many 
who became careless were admonished for neglect of 
their church privileges and some were disciplined. 
Frequent aid was extended to the needy. Another 
remarkable feature of the minutes of the Council and 
of the Sunday School for many years in the early 
history of the congregation is the frequent appear- 
ance among the business items of petitions for Divine 
blessing upon the work. 

Dr. Krauth's ministry was not only most, accept- 
able, but very successful. The pulpits of the leading 

[74] 




THE Rev. CHARLES PORTERFIELD KRAUTH, D.D., LL.D. 



f irjE(t (Engltsi 



many years the 8. 
deal of attention t' 



oause of 



is; item 



crhiirch 



iiased at a 
■ry and tlv- 
the Sund*>v 

ihe appointm* 
- laboring congr*' 
effort to prevent 
lining the omnibuses 



1 (;li beiCl:.' 

t! MelantI: 
Mutes of the - 
ience that mr 
led as a most 



the congregation 



sum of mone^ 
ving the chur 
rry out their 
neteenth oon\ 

1859. .'• 
"«ras ndr; 



bo 



Avas extende* 
^ School for 



' s in the early 
t^nt appear- 
- ^or Divine 



The] 



he leading 



pmovatt of t\^t Mt\}. €\)atW P* i^rautl^ 

denominations in the city at this time were filled by 
able men. Dr. Spaeth records that: 

" Dr. Paxton, afterwards in Princeton, was pastor of the 
First Presbyterian Church ; Dr. Howard, of the Second ; and 
Dr. Riddle, of the Third ; Rev. Alfred Cookman became pastor 
of Christ 's Methodist Church ; Dr. Lyman, afterward Bishop 
of North Carolina, was rector of Trinity Episcopal Church — 
all men of influence and ability. In the Presbyterian Sem- 
inary, Dr. Jacobus, Dr. Plummer, and Professor Wilson were 
strong in the pulpit, and preached frequently in the differ- 
ent churches of the city." 

Dr. Krauth was in the prime of physical and in- 
tellectual life when he came to Pittsburgh, and his 
great gifts speedily won recognition. He heartily 
identified himself with his people and confined his 
labors to their welfare. Although as a speaker he 
was equal to any demand, he never preached without 
careful preparation. He used an outline in the pulpit 
but his delivery was untrammeled and forcible. He 
was probably at his best as a preacher and speaker 
while in Pittsburgh, and the influence of his preach- 
ing and his personality was most timely and powerful. 
Plis preaching was positive, and he advanced the 
cause of pure Lutheranism, without attacking any 
special abuses and without exciting any special op- 
position. He thus accomplished much in the four 
years of his ministry in strengthening the lines of the 
conservative forces for the struggle which was immi- 
nent in the congregation and the Synod between his- 
toric Lutheranism and radicalism. 

While exceedingly versatile, popular, and able as 
a preacher, delightful in the home, beloved of chil- 
dren, he was pre-eminently the student and the 

[75] 



firist (BngltjSl^ Lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

scholar. His library, now permanently placed in 
the magnificent Krauth Memorial Library building 
erected as a memorial to him on the grounds of the 
Theological Seminary at Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, was 
even then quite large and constantly growing. 

He was a frequent contributor to the Evangelical 
Review, of Gettysburg, the organ of the conservative 
party, and to the columns of Mr. Passavant's paper, 
The Missionary, contributing greatly to the success 
of this venture. Many of his early articles here in 
defense of the Augsburg Confession and of historic 
Lutheranism were later reprinted in The Lutheran or 
in pamphlet form, and their influence in this critical 
period cannot be overestimated. Various sermons 
and addresses were, usually upon special request, 
printed, among them two "Thanksgiving Discourses" 
and "Three Essays for the Season," under the title 
"Poverty." He here completed his translation of 
the seventh edition of "Tholuck's Commentary on the 
Gospel of St. John," which was published in 1859, 
and which ranks among his larger efforts. 

The inspiration for his most important literary 
work, "The Conservative Reformation and Its Theol- 
ogy," was furnished by a dear friend in the First 
Church and its publication years later was made 
possible by the same friend and one other in Pitts- 
burgh. In 1855, Dr. S. S. Schmucker published the 
"Definite Platform," as an "American Recension of 
the Augsburg Confession," in which the Confession 
was charged with five specific errors (among them 
Baptismal Regeneration and the Real Presence), and 
radical changes were proposed in no less than twelve 
of the twenty-one doctrinal articles. This same 

[76] 



^a^torate of t\^t Eeb* Ci^arle^ p. Mvaut^ 

author's "Popular Theology" had exerted a wide in- 
fluence in propagating his un-Lutheran views and in 
strengthening opposition ta the confessional party in 
the Church. Mr. Thomas H. Lane suggested to Dr. 
Krauth, during his Pittsburgh pastorate, that he 
prepare a book along similar outlines to offset the 
destructive influence of the "Popular Theology." Dr. 
Krauth was favorably impressed, and Mr. Lane de- 
lighted to speak of a visit to Philadelphia with Dr. 
Krauth, when they together selected a book in Lip- 
pincott's bookstore which in size and mechanical 
appearance might serve as a model for the proposed 
defense of true Lutheranism. 

"The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology" 
was not actually published until 1871, but much of the 
material incorporated in it had previously appeared 
in various doctrinal and historical articles in the 
Evangelical Revieiv and in the Lutheran and Mission- 
ary. At the time of its publication Dr. Krauth was 
Norton Professor of Dogmatic Theology in the Sem- 
inary at Philadelphia, but the expense of publication 
was borne by two devoted Pittsburgh friends, Mr, 
Thomas H. Lane and Mr. George Black. 

Dr. Krauth 's conspicuous ability naturally invited 
appeals from other fields. In 1858 an earnest effort 
was made to have him consider a call to succeed the 
Rev. Dr. Philip Mayer as pastor of St. John's Eng- 
lish Church, Philadelphia. An address, signed by 
thirty-two of the most prominent members of the 
First Church, assured him of "the perils to which 
your withdrawal would subject us," and begged him 
to remain. He promptly declined the proposition. 

In July of 1859, he received a call from St. Mark's 

[77] 



ftot Cnglijs]^ JLutl^eran Ci^urci^ 

Cliurcli, Pliiladelpliia. The Council of the First 
Church, appreciating Dr. Krauth's concern for his 
wife's health and his desire to secure treatment for 
her in the East, unanimously resolved to grant him 
as much time as he might wish to be with his family 
during the coming year, and promised, if he would 
remain, ''to secure the services of a young minister 
to labor for us in his absence, and when the pastor 
is here, to serve in connection the Birmingham con- 
gregation." 

The decision was finally made in favor of Philadel- 
phia, though the force of the struggle appears in the 
following letter to his father, dated August 23, 1859. 

" You will judge how hard and close the conflict in my 
mind has been, when, after the letter which I mailed this after- 
noon, I write that letters since received from Philadelphia 
have led me to a final decision, and that I have determined to 
go and will write to that effect this week. My Council hold 
out inducements to me to stay of the most generous kind, so 
noble and self-sacrificing that it would be ungenerous in me 
to accept them. The will of the Lord be done. Pray for 
me. I have been very near to strong crying and tears in 
the final struggle of this afternoon, but my mind is calm 
now. ' ' 

September 12, the Council received and reluctantly 
accepted his resignation, which read as follows : 

" Dearly beloved Brethren: 

" Into your hands I resign the commission which four 
years ago was given me through you by the congregation you 
represent — a commission to minister to them at the altar of 
our common God in the Gospel of His Son. 

" It is with regrets too deep to find a natural expression in 
words I now dissolve those holy ties under the guidance, as 
[78] 



j^ajstorate of ti^e Mt\). Ci^arleis p. Mtant]) 

I humbly trust, of Him in whose Providence they were then 
formed. For all that you have done, for all that you have 
been to me, accept my poor thanks. No cloud has dimmed 
our intercourse. You have shown yourselves only too good, 
too forbearing. May the Father of all mercies bless you 
and the dear people over whose interests you watch. These 
lines mark indeed my sundering from them, but in that love 
which I shall cherish for them till the heart, to whose chief 
treasure it belongs, beats no more, in the grateful remem- 
brance of their kindness, in the memory of all that is tender 
and hallowing in the relation in which we have stood, in the 
privilege of praying for them and of begging that I may not 
be forgotten in their supplications, and in the prospect of 
that meeting which is to follow the partings of this life, — I 
shall feel that they have not ceased, and can never whoUy 
cease, to be mine. 

" Believe me, dear Brethren in Christ Jesus, 
Ever yours, 

Charles P. Krauth." 

The loss of Dr. Krauth was a deep wound to the 
congregation. Their affectionate admiration and 
personal regard remained undiminished throughout 
his life and still abide as a blessed memory. He 
frequently visited the congregation again upon invi- 
tation. His last visit was during a vacancy in the 
pastorate, when he came to administer the Lord's 
Supper. It was the first Sunday in Advent and his 
address was based on the Gospel for the Day. The 
services all seemed imbued with an atmosphere of 
pathos. After his return to Philadelphia he wrote 
that on his journey homeward his mind had been so 
absorbed by the memories of that blessed occasion 
that he was involuntarily led to versify the leading 

[79] 



ftrjst Cnglt^l^ Lutl^eran Cl^utc]^ 

thoughts of his Communion address, and these were 
subsequently published in the Workman. 

The following is a portion of the lengthy resolu- 
tions unanimously adopted by the Council : 

" That we sincerely deplore his removal from our midst. 

" That we shall ever cherish with feelings of gratitude the 
remembrance of his eminent services in our Church, bearing 
our united testimony to the signal ability which charac- 
terized his public ministrations, the devotedness of his pas- 
toral labors and the hallowed hours of Christian intercourse 
which have indelibly impressed their influences upon our 
hearts. 

" That we regard the period of his residence amongst us 
as one of eventful moment to the permanence and prosperity 
of our Zion, that period having been signalized by an un- 
usual development and expansion of the energies and influ- 
ence of this congregation, as well as a general advancement 
of the Redeemer's Kingdom in this city." 

Born in Martinsburg, Va., March 17, 1823, Dr. 
Krauth was educated at Gettysburg, where his father 
was a professor. For a short time he served a mis- 
sion in Canton, Baltimore, and in 1842 became pastor 
of the Lombard St. Church in Baltimore ; in 1847 he 
was pastor in Shepherdstown and in 1848 in Win- 
chester, accepting the call to Pittsburgh in 1855. 
Pennsylvania College gave him the degrees of D.D. in 
1856, and LL.D. in 1874. 

His pastorate of St. Mark's, Philadelphia, was of 
short duration. In 1861 he resigned to become the 
editor of The Lutheran, and when the Theological 
Seminary at Philadelphia was founded in 1864 he 
was chosen professor of Dogmatic Theology^ In 
1868 he accepted also the department of Mental and 

[80] 



pmovatt of tifte Mt\). Ci^arlejs p. Mtmt\^ 

Moral Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, 
and from 1873 he was Vice-Provost of that institution. 
He was a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, 
an active member of the American Committee on Re- 
vision of the Old Testament, and a member of 
numerous historical, philosophical, and philological 
societies. In addition to his larger works, Commen- 
tary on St. John, Vocabulary of Philosophy, The 
Augsburg Confession, The Conservative Reformation 
and its Theology, Infant Baptism and Infant Salva- 
tion in the Calvinistic System, Berkeley's Principles, 
and others, he was an Associate Editor of Johnson's 
Encyclopaedia and also contributed to Appleton's and 
other cyclopajdias, and wrote countless important 
articles for Church papers and periodicals. His 
death, January 2, 1883, removed one of the most bril- 
liant, as well as one of the most profound, represent- 
atives of the Lutheran Church in America. 



CHAPTER VIII 

l^ajEitotate of ti^e Bet. Eeuben i^iU, J^.W* 

1859-1866 




URING the vacancy Mr. Wey- 
man served as chairman of the 
Council. Upon motion of 
Mr. Lane, Council decided by 
a vote of six to five to call a 
congregational meeting to con- 
sider the name of the Rev. Dr. 
Emanuel Greenwald, of Easton, Pa., but there is 
no record of further action. 

Owing to the uncertainty of past procedure in the 
nomination and election of pastors and Church offi- 
cers, a committee was appointed to prepare rules to 
govern future elections. After much discussion, two 
Rules and eight By-laws were adopted October 17. 
The Rules required the Church Council to nominate 
for pastor one person ''whom they have reason to be- 
lieve would be useful and acceptable" and to submit 
his name to a congregational meeting, a two-thirds 
vote of the Council being declared a sufficient majority 
to nominate a candidate, although a unanimous 
recommendation is desirable. 

The By-laws required two public announcements 
for congregational meetings; organization of the 
meeting by election of president, vice-president, and 
secretary; voting by ballots marked "For a j^all" 
and ''Against a call"; a record by the secretary of 

[82] 



jaajstorate of tl^e Bet. mnUn fill 

all the legal voters who deposited ballots ; electors to 
be only such as ''have paid one year's pew rent or 
rent for part of a pew sufficient for one person at 
least and who shall not be in arrears for such rent for 
more than one year and shall be in full communion 
with the English Evangelical Lutheran Church"; and 
a two-thirds vote for an election. 

October 31, 1859, a letter was received from the 
Rev. Reuben Hill, of Hagerstown, Md., accepting the 
Council's invitation to preach. November 16, Mr. 
Hill was elected pastor at a congregational meeting. 
But twenty-two votes were cast. Mr. Hill accepted 
the call and arrangements were made for his in- 
stallation on the last Sunday in January, 1860, Dr. 
Passavant being invited to deliver the charge to the 
pastor and Dr. Krauth to the congregation. 

Early in the year 1860 it was decided to hold quar- 
terly communions, on the first Sundays in February, 
May, August, and November, instead of six com- 
munions a year. 

February 6, the use of the lecture room was ten- 
dered the Birmingham congregation for three lec- 
tures in aid of their Church. 

In April of this year the attention of the Council 
was centred upon the claims of Allegheny as a mis- 
sion field. As early as 1846 a Sunday School had 
been established there by members of the First 
Church, under the direction of Mr. Passavant, After 
three years it was discontinued for a while, but was 
soon revived. In 1854 a church building was secured 
and in 1859 the School reported 350 scholars. Dr. 
Passavant was now (1860) Missionary Superintend- 
ent of the Synod, and in a lengthy letter to the 

[83] 



fiv^t (Bml\^\^ lutl^eran O^urci^ 

Council of the Pittsburgh congregation he proposed 
beginning regular services in Allegheny every Sun- 
day afternoon at three o'clock. He asked that Mr. 
Hill preach the first sermon, promising that Eevs. 
Reck, Ulery, and Lawson, and he himself would as- 
sist in conducting future services. He refers to 
Allegheny as a place of 40,000 inhabitants and in 
conclusion says : 

" If the Council approves the proposed suggestion I think 
the way will be gradually prepared for the establishment of 
a second Church and tho ' there is little likelihood that many 
of the older families of the parent Church would leave it, 
yet many a wanderer from God would be reached and many 
a careless family would be gathered into the fold of Christ. ' ' 

The Council put itself on record as strongly op- 
posed to such a movement at that time, eleven mem- 
bers signing a letter of reply, dated April 11, 1860. 
They regard it impossible that 

* ' another public service could be added to the pastor 's duties 
with justice to himself and the congregation. Nor do we 
regard the one Church which now represents the interest of 
our denomination in this city so confirmed in its position 
that it could be depleted of its membership without jeopard- 
izing its very existence, to say nothing of impairing its 
influence and diminishing its vitality." The statement con- 
cludes with the belief that their first obligations are " to 
sustain and perpetuate that which has been secured by 
years of toil and sacrifice and whose welfare demands the 
devotion of an entire and undivided membership." 

The matter did not drop, however, and four months 
later the Rev. Mr. Reck, who had succeeded* Dr. 
Passavant as Missionary Superintendent, again 

[84] 



W'^ jBIl. 



THE Rev. REUBEN HILL, D.D. 



frr l^nu^ 



li !, ixiid \u vuuld as 

s le servi( refers to 



The mai 



iiggestion I thinlv 

the establishment oi 

li'-'^lihood that man\ 

; would leave if 

^'vd and man- 

-f Christ." 



led April 11, 



- ill.! pastor's duties 
inn. Nor do we 
iH the interest of 
1 in its position 





f, - ■ ! . T 


' *^ niipairing its 

> ment cou- 

-iis are " to 


that which lia.s 


been secured by 


.-,. ;m^.1 V 


fho^u. .,v,.] 


♦ire demands the 






rship." 


drop, b 




'1 ^our months 


T?--k, w..-, , , 


succeeded »pr. 


try 


Superii 


tendent, again 


[841 







^amtatt of tl^e met, mnhtn fill 

brought it before the Council. A committee of four 
was appointed to confer with those interested in the 
movement, and upon their report the Council, Au- 
gust 9, adopted a reply stating that they did not yet 
think it wise to organize, but suggesting '' occasional 
preaching" under the supervision of the pastor and 
Council of the First Church. 

" The establishment of a mission separate and apart from 
the membership of the Church in Pittsburgh seems to us 
inadvisable, if not entirely impracticable. Aside from the 
fifty or sixty families who attend the Church on this side, 
the English Lutheran material is such as to be moulded into 
faithful members only by time and arduous labor. It will 
undoubtedly, in any successful event, require the leaven of 
the old lump to be cast in in order that the new may be 
leavened. To build at all it must be on the foundation 
already laid." 

The letter closes with these recommendations: to 
hold preaching services once a month under the super- 
vision of the First Church ; to secure, as soon as the 
necessary means can be obtained, an additional min- 
ister to labor there in connection with the pastor; 
after one year's united pastoral labor, to have the 
membership on that side of the river form a self- 
sustaining congregation, if they are able, ''with the 
hearty approval and sympathy of the parent 
Church." The signatures of the entire twelve mem- 
bers of the Council are appended to this statement: 
George Weyman, David A. Foulke, J. S. Newmeyer, 
George Hubley, Dr. A. Lange, A. S. Getty, Thos. H. 
Lane, Geo. J. Duff, John B. Chalmers, E. Rahm, W. 
S. Moore, Chas. H. Gillespie. 

[85] 



ifir^t c0ngU0]^ iLuti^eraii Ci^urc]^ 

The movement, however, was too strong to be 
cliecked or even directed, and October 1 thirty-two 
members appHed for dismissal to organize the con- 
gregation in Allegheny. Their request was granted 
and others applying later were also dismissed, and 
the "First English Evangelical Lutheran Church of 
Allegheny" was organized October 21, 1860. This 
name was changed, December 6, 1876, to "Trinity." 
The first pastor was the Rev. Henry Reck, who was 
succeeded, November 29, 1863, by the Rev. John G. 
Goettman. The congregation evidently lacked the 
elements of strength which the Council of the Pitts- 
burgh Church had hoped to develop, and at the time 
of the division it went with the General Synod. 

December 3, the small attendance at the evening 
services was considered and a committee was ap- 
pointed to prepare a series of resolutions and the 
pastor was requested to preach a sermon bearing 
upon it. 

February 4, 1861, a committee was appointed to "in- 
vestigate the matter of establishing a mission Sunday 
School on Penn Ave. among the Germans in that 
locality," but the effort was later abandoned because 
of the "present depression of business and the un- 
settled condition of affairs." 

In July of this year the condition of the treasury 
caused the Council to assess an additional five per 
cent, on the valuation of pews and to borrow $300 
for one year at interest not to exceed nine per cent. 

January 8, 1862, the committee appointed to collect 
funds to pay the Church debt reported that they had 
discharged that duty, and the receipt of Mr, Weyman 
was given for $952.53 in full for all claims of any 

[86] 



pamtatt of ti^e Mt^. Mmhm fill 

kind that lie held to this date against the First 
Church. 

September 7, 1863, a letter was read from the Board 
of Directors of Pennsylvania College and the Theo- 
logical Seminary at Gettysburg asking for assistance 
in raising funds to repair the damages to buildings 
and grounds that resulted from the great battle of 
July previous. It was decided to bring this appeal to 
the congregation the next Sunday and a collection was 
taken on the following one, and one hundred dollars 
appropriated. 

The pastor was also requested to appoint a com- 
mittee of twenty members with instructions to deter- 
mine what amount of money would be required to 
purchase a lot and build a new church for the con- 
gregation, and whether such a sum could be raised. 

Early in 1864 the pastor's salary was fixed at 
$1,500. 

January 4, the pastor reported that the Eev. W. A. 
Passavant had informed him that a lot near Oakland 
had been given to him for church purposes and that 
he now wished to convey the same to this congrega- 
tion in trust for a Lutheran Church. A committee 
was appointed to call upon him to obtain fuller 
information. 

The title to this property, known as the Nevile B. 
Craig lot, and located on Dithridge St. near Fifth 
Ave. never came into the possession of the congrega- 
tion. After Dr. Passavant 's death it was transferred 
to the Pittsburgh Synod, by whose direction it was 
sold and the proceeds, amounting to about $8,000, 
were transferred to the Evangelical Lutheran Mission 
and Church Extension Society of Pittsburgh, Alle- 

[87] 



fim (0ngUjS]^ lutl^emn Cl^utcl^ 

gheny and Vicinity, which organization is still the 
custodian of the fund. 

An offering for the benefit of the American Tract 
Society in the year 1864 amounted to $50, and the 
offering for the Christian Commission on Thanks- 
giving Day realized $230. 

June 5, 1865, a committee from the Reformed Pres- 
byterian Church, Allegheny, the Rev. Dr. Sproull, 
pastor, inquired whether the congregation would sell 
the church building, and the price. A price of $30,000 
was placed upon the property, including the sexton's 
house, gas fixtures, carpets, etc., but the matter was 
never carried further. 

October 22, the oifering for Synodical purposes 
amounted to $533.50. 

November 6 the Council decided, by a vote of six 
to three, to submit the recommendation of the Synod 
for a uniform Order of Service to the next congre- 
gational meeting. It received extended discussion at 
that meeting (January 1, 1866), and was referred for 
final action to a special meeting two weeks later, 
when it was decided, by a vote of thirty-eight to 
fifteen, to adopt the recommendation of Synod. 

Lengthy resolutions, of which the following is the 
substance, were also passed at the congregational 
meeting : 

'' Inasmuch as a number of members have purchased a lot 
on the corner of Penn and Hand Streets and have conveyed 
the same to a committee in trust of this congregation, 

'' Resolved, That a building committee be appointed to 
have a church building erected thereon when in their estima- 
tion a sufficient sum be subscribed to insure the success of 
the enterprise.' 

[88] 



pamtatt of tl^e meb. mnUn i^tll 

The committee, wMch consisted of tMrteen mem- 
bers, was also authorized to sell the present church 
property and to control the amount received from its 
sale. 

Sometime in 1865 a City Missionary Society was 
organized in the lecture room of the church by mem- 
bers of the Sunday Schools of the First Church, 
Second German, Trinity Allegheny, and Grace 
South Side. The purpose was to district the city and 
establish new Sunday Schools. The only permanent 
result of the short-lived Society was the organization 
of St. John's Sunday School May 6, 1866, in a room 
on the third floor of a building on the corner of Fifth 
Avenue and Pride Street. In addition to Mr. Hill 
there were present on that occasion the Revs. G. A. 
Wenzel, H. W. Roth, and J. G. Goettman, and Prof. 
Stoever of Gettysburg. Mr. George Hubley was the 
first superintendent; eighty-five scholars were en- 
rolled with twelve teachers from the First Church 
and the German Church. The further history of this 
movement properly belongs to the following 
pastorates. 

June 18, 1866, Mr. Hill submitted his resignation as 
pastor, to take effect July 1, assigning as his reason 
the impaired condition of his health, especially an 
affection of the throat, his physician having advised 
him to seek rest and a change of climate. Mr. Hill's 
communication closes as follows: "May the Great 
Head of the Church soon send you a man after His 
own heart to break unto you and the dear people the 
Bread of Life. With confiding trust in the supreme 
goodness and wisdom of His overruling Providence 
I commit the interests of the congregation, as well as 

[89] 



jftot (0ngli0]^ lutifteran Cl^urcl^ 

my own destiny, into His Almighty Hands." His 
resignation was accepted and a committee was ap- 
pointed to prepare a suitable address in reply. This 
was later adopted by the Council and ordered to be 
entered upon the minutes, but it was not recorded. 
The Council also decided to continue the payment 
of the pastor's salary until January 1, 1867. 

Mr. Hill came to Pittsburgh to assume charge of 
the congregation under peculiar and trying circum- 
stances. He followed a pastor who had been the idol 
of his people and who had sustained a commanding 
influence in the community for his general scholarship 
and his theological attainments. The congregation 
had yielded most reluctantly to the necessity which 
prompted Dr. Krauth's removal, and the members 
were as a consequence disappointed and apathetic. 

Mr. Hill was energetic as a pastor and impressive 
as a preacher, and, notwithstanding the difficulties 
in his way, he accomplished much for the congre- 
gation. 

It was during his ministry, owing largely to the 
foresight of Mr. George Black, who recognized the 
fact that real estate had not yet been included in 
the general inflation of values and who advocated 
securing a more favorable site for a new church 
building when the congregation would be able to 
build, that the property was purchased at the corner 
of Penn and Ninth Streets. 

The struggle of the War of the Rebellion was 
absorbing the thoughts and energies of the com- 
munity and the development of the oil territory pro- 
duced an excitement only secondary to it. A nifmber 
of the young men of the congregation entered the 

[90] 



pamtatt of ti^e meb. Eeuben fill 

military service of the country, among whom were 
Cols. Armor and Sheafer, Messrs. B. F. Weyman, 
Henry Balken, W. Warren Wattles, George Armor, 
James Armor, and George H. Smith. The Sunday 
School presented Mr. Sheafer with a sword. Mr. 
Hill was intensely loyal and gave decided utterance 
to his sentiments. 

Dr. Hill was born in Hughesville, Pa., July 22, 
1826. He graduated from Pennsylvania College, 
Gettysburg, in 1852 and from the Seminary there in 
1854. Before coming to Pittsburgh he had been 
pastor of St. James's Church, Gettysburg, and St. 
John's, Hagerstown, Md. After leaving Pittsburgh 
he served a congregation in Rhinebeck, N. Y., founded 
the Church of the Reformation, Rochester, N. Y., and 
was pastor of St. John's, Allentown, Pa., for eleven 
years, during a portion of which pastorate he was 
Assistant Professor of Greek in Muhlenberg College. 
In 1885 he became the financial representative of the 
Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and it was 
largely through his efforts that the splendid site in 
Mt. Airy was secured and the Dormitory erected for 
the students when the institution removed from 
Franklin Street to the suburbs. Muhlenberg College 
conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity upon him 
in 1892. He died in Mt. Airy, March 3, 1895. 

These were indeed times that tried men's souls. 
The great Civil War absorbed the State and a great 
conflict spread throughout the Church. "American 
Lutheranism" as represented in the teachings and 
publications of Dr. S. S. Schmucker and in the posi- 
tions of the Lutheran Observer was being more and 
more earnestly contested by the ever-increasing 

[91] 



fiv^t €nq,l\^\^ Hutl^eran Cl^utc]^ 

forces of sound, confessional Lutlieranism. Dr. 
Passavant's paper, T/^e Missionary, and The Lutheran 
in Philadelphia were founded to maintain the posi- 
tions of the conservatives, and in 1864 the Theologi- 
cal Seminary at Philadelphia was established as a 
protest and a protection against the radicalism then 
rampant at Gettysburg. The lines were being 
sharply drawn ; men terribly in earnest on both sides 
of the field girded themselves to defend their beloved 
Lutheranism against principles and positions which 
they regarded fatal to its true development in this 
country; the final division in the old General Synod 
was but a year or two distant; there was growing 
bitterness and intolerance on every hand. 

The First Church, for several reasons, was the un- 
happy scene of some of these conflicts which later 
divided the congregation as they did the Synod, and 
the Church itself. The first difficulties arose from 
the discussion and adoption of the Synod's recom- 
mendation of a Service designed to secure more uni- 
formity in its congregations. This Service itself was 
exceedingly simple and moderate, including little of 
a liturgical character beyond the recital of the Creed 
and the Lord's Prayer. Much sentiment in favor of 
such a Service had been quietly developed in the 
congregation by the use for many years in the Sun- 
day School of the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and various 
responsive readings. The final adoption of the 
Synod's Service placed the congregation on the fir- 
ing line and developed an opposition to conservative 
usages which had much to do with Mr. Hill's final 
resignation; and this, notwithstanding the fact that 

[92] 



pajstorate of ti^e Eei3. MmUn fill 

lie had not been in the least an agitator and had not 
evinced any partisan spirit. 

The General Synod held its last meeting before the 
division at Fort Wayne, Ind., May 16, 1866. The 
Eev. Dr. Joseph A. Seiss of Philadelphia, upon his 
return from this convention, preached in the First 
Church, repeating the sermon which he had recently 
delivered before the General Synod. He made a 
most favorable impression upon the entire congrega- 
tion and was unanimously elected pastor at a congre- 
gational meeting July 18, fifty-six votes being cast. 

The faction which had opposed the adoption of the 
Synod's Service and which later withdrew from the 
congregation was particularly active in urging Dr. 
Seiss 's election and freely expressed its willingness 
to have him wear the clerical robe and to use the 
Liturgy, also agreeing to increase the salary if he 
would come. But he declined the call. 



CHAPTER IX 

^motatt of ti^e Beb* Samuel LaitD^ JB.l^. 

1867-1879 




!HE final division between the 
conservative and the radical 
forces in the Lutheran Church 
occurred at Fort Wayne in May, 
1866, when the delegates of the 
Ministerium of Pennsylvania 
were denied recognition by the 
General Synod on the ground that the delegates of 
the Ministerium who had protested against the admis- 
sion of the Franckean Synod of New York by the 
General Synod at York, Pa., in 1864, because of its 
doubtful subscription to the Lutheran Confessions, 
and who had withdrawn from that convention in 1864 
to report to the Ministerium, had by that action taken 
the Ministerium out of practical relations with the 
General Synod. This action on the part of the 
General Synod was not the real cause of the rupture, 
but only the occasion of it. The great determining 
question was the true acceptance of the Lutheran 
Confessions. The doctrinal position of the General 
Synod was unsatisfactory to the Ministerium of 
Pennsylvania, and it was convinced that a General 
Body should be formed, composed of Synods truly 
representing the doctrinal position of the Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran Church, inasmuch as the hope of se- 
curing this in the General Synod was abandoned. 

[94J 



pajstotate of ti^e Mt\). Samuel lairD 

Accordingly when the Ministerium met in Holy 
Trinity Church, Lancaster, Pa., a short time after- 
wards it issued a call for the formation of a new 
General Body by those Synods wliich truly received 
the Confessions of the Lutheran Church. This action 
resulted in the organization of the General Council. 

A very large part of the members of the First 
Church of Pittsburgh sympathized with the General 
Council, but a small faction favored the General 
Synod. It so happened, however, that at this time, 
during the vacancy after the resignation of Mr. Hill, 
six of the twelve members of the Church Council 
were General Council men and six were General 
Synod men, and neither side could command a ma- 
jority. The Council by the close vote of seven to 
five defeated a motion to invite eight different minis- 
ters to preach on eight successive Sundays and to 
nominate a pastor from the number! 

At a special meeting, September 24, 1866, a motion 
to propose for election the name of the Rev. Samuel 
Laird, pastor of Trinity Church, Lancaster, Pa., 
failed by a tie vote, though it was decided to invite 
him to preach for the congregation. 

Mr. Laird having declined to preach as a can- 
didate, it was agreed that two members of the Coun- 
cil, one representing each side, should go to Lan- 
caster to hear him. Messrs. William F. Lang and 
Jacob S. Newmeyer were chosen for this purpose and 
on their return both reported in his favor. 

November 5, 1866, a petition was presented to the 
Council by Mr. Weyman, signed by one hundred and 
twenty-six members, requesting a congregational 
meeting for the election of the Rev. Samuel Laird. 

[95] 



fim €xxq,li^^ lutl^cran €^mct^ 

This was defeated by a vote of six to five, but a 
motion prevailed to call the meeting "to consider 
the propriety of calling a pastor and to decide upon 
the relation of this congregation to the Pittsburgh 
Synod; it was also resolved that the members of the 
Church Council waive any constitutional right to 
nominate a pastor in this instance." 

Section I, Chapter II, of the By-laws of the con- 
gregation required that ' ' no minister shall be eligible 
to the office of pastor of this Church unless he is a 
member of some Synod in connection with the Gen- 
eral Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 
the United States." The radical faction urged this 
clause as a pretext in their opposition to the name 
of Mr. Laird, as he was then pastor of Trinity 
Church, Lancaster, Pa., a congregation belonging to 
the Ministerium of Pennsylvania whose connection 
with the General Synod had been dissolved. In all 
the unhappy controversy of this time we see that 
there was no serious opposition to any one person, 
but simply a bitter factional spirit inflamed against 
the conservative party in the Church at large. 

The congregational meeting was held November 
21. It was resolved, by a vote of ninety-three to 
twenty-nine, to strike out Section I, Chapter II, of 
the By-laws. It was then decided to call the Rev. 
Samuel Laird as pastor, by a vote of ninety-one to 
twenty- six, the election being by ballot. A motion 
to make the call unanimous failed. The meeting 
adjourned to meet again in two weeks formally to 
act upon the motion to revise the By-laws, inasmuch 
as the former action had been taken without the re- 
quired definite notification. 

[96] 



pamvatt of ti^e Mtio. Samuel iLatrD 

After the adjournment two members of the minority 
took the keys of the church from the sexton and nailed 
down the windows to prevent the use of the building, 
claiming that the action taken at the meeting had 
been in violation of the Constitution, and that it had 
deprived the congregation of possession of the church 
property. A special meeting of the Council was 
called by them to exact terms which would place the 
minority in control. This meeting was held Novem- 
ber 24 in the sexton's house at ten o'clock in the 
morning, all the members being present. The mi- 
nority having stated that they had proceeded under 
legal advice, the response was made that, ''As you 
have appealed to Caesar, unto Caesar we will go," 
and, nothing being submitted for formal action, the 
Council adjourned. 

The church remained barricaded over the following 
Sunday, although a minister had come to the city 
upon invitation to supply the pulpit. When the 
members of the congregation who were not aware of 
the situation found themselves forcibly excluded from 
their church, they became very indignant. During 
the following week, the majority applied to the 
Courts and a temporary injunction was granted to 
prevent the minority from retaining possession of 
the property. Mr. Thomas H. Lane was appointed 
trustee by the Court and the keys of the church were 
taken from Mr. Jacob S. Newmeyer, who was a 
trustee of the Church, and placed in the keeping of 
Mr. Lane, who was the trustee of the Court. Ser- 
vices were then resumed and the interruption was 
ended. 

This began a protracted legal controversy. The 

7 [97] 



$im €nq,li&) JLuti^eran Ci^urcl^ 

case was dragged through the District Court and, 
when the minority cause was lost there, it was 
appealed to the Supreme Court, and again finally 
decided in favor of the majority of the congregation. 
The Church Council was equally divided and until 
another election could be held, every effort to call a 
pastor or to take any other action involving matters 
in dispute was futile. An indication of the feeling 
which prevailed is given in the action of the Church 
Council, at its meeting December 3. It was necessary 
to make nominations for the annual election of Church 
officers and Mr. Weyman's name was submitted for 
re-nomination as Elder, but the nomination failed by 
reason of the following tie vote: For the nomination: 
Thomas H. Lane, Dr. A. Lange, D. Foulke, Washing- 
ton Beeler, Wm. F. Lang. Against nomination: 
George Hubley, J. S. Newmeyer, J. H. Lyday, A. 
"Weaver, A. J. Getty. 

Mr. Weyman and Mr. J. B. Chalmers did not vote. 

December 5 an adjourned meeting of the congrega- 
tion was held at which it was unanimously decided, 
ninety votes being cast, to re-consider the action of 
November 21 repealing the By-law and also the action 
relating to the election of the Eev. Mr. Laird. It 
was then decided to postpone indefinitely the election 
of a pastor and to discharge the committee appointed 
to extend the call and to arrange the salary. 

January 7, 1867, at the annual meeting of the con- 
gregation it was stated that the Council could not 
agree upon any nominations for the Church Council. 
The following persons were therefore nominated by 
the congregation and unanimously elected, sixty-six 
votes being cast: Elder, George Weyman; Deacons, 

[98] 



^^a^torate of ti^e Mt\). Samuel HatrD 

D. M. Armor, P. W. H. Latsliaw; Trustees, Wm. F. 
Lang, W. D. Beeler, Wm. P. Weyman. Messrs. Lane 
and William P. Weyman were appointed to invite a 
Lutheran minister to preach the following Sunday 
and to install the officers-elect. 

Thus the majority of the congregation was finally 
able to break the deadlock and place the administra- 
tion of its affairs in the hands of a Council that would 
really represent it and execute its wishes. 

The Council was now constituted as follows: 
Elders, George Weyman, Dr. A. Lange, George 
Hubley; Deacons, Thomas H. Lane, J. S. Newmeyer, 
D. A. Foulke, J. H. Lyday, D. M. Armor, P. W. H. 
Latshaw; Trustees, W. F. Lang, W. D. Beeler, Wm. 
P. Weyman. 

January 14 the trustees and treasurer were ap- 
pointed to request Mr. George Hubley, former treas- 
urer, to transfer to them all books, accounts, papers, 
and moneys in his possession belonging to the Church. 
It was also resolved to hold a meeting of the congre- 
gation January 30 to consider the proposed amend- 
ment of the By-laws and to elect a pastor, the Eev. 
Samuel Laird being nominated. 

The meeting was held. The motion to amend the 
By-laws was carried by a vote of seventy-one to three. 
Mr. Laird was elected by ballot, by a vote of seventy- 
four to two. Messrs. George Black, Thomas H. Lane, 
and William P. Weyman, by authority of the con- 
gregation, visited Lancaster and personally presented 
the call, which was accepted. 

April 1, several young men of the congregation 
offered to replace the instrument then in use in the 
church with a small organ. The offer was accepted. 

. [99] 



ifiv^t (Bnq\i&^ tnt\)ttan €t^inct) 

Subsequently, a proposition was made by Mr. B. F. 
Weyman, through the pastor, to exchange the organ 
then in use for a larger and more expensive one, the 
Church to obtain an interest in the new organ propor- 
tionate to the value of the old one, Mr. Weyman as- 
suming the additional cost. The proposition was 
accepted, and the thanks of the Council were ten- 
dered Mr. Weyman. 

On the first Sunday in May, 1867, Mr. Laird be- 
came pastor of the Church. It was the Sunday of 
the Good Shepherd and he took as his text the Gospel 
for the day, John 10 : 11-16. Prior to his coming, a 
railing had been erected around the chancel and a 
lectern placed in it, so that the liturgical service 
could be conducted from the chancel. There was only 
a partial use of the Liturgy, as the people were not 
accustomed to the full Service. 

Messrs. Hubley and Newmeyer, although holding 
offices in the congregation, were actively engaged in 
promoting the organization of a rival congregation 
and securing the services of a minister ; the Council, 
therefore, requested Mr. Laird and Mr. George Wey- 
man to wait upon them and confer with them upon 
the inconsistency of their position. This was done 
and they promised to send a communication to the 
next meeting of the Council. 

June 7, a lengthy communication was read from 
Mr. George Hubley, who had been a member of the 
Council for twenty years, in which he tendered his 
resignation as an elder of the Church and requested 
that it be entered on the minutes. His resignation 
was accepted and ordered to be recorded. The secre- 
tary was instructed to communicate to him the action 

[100] 



THE Rev. SAMUEL LAIRD, D.D. 



Jfivsft emim 



. ,.,....„...: 




..uo by Mr. B. F. 
V change the organ 


I Leu u: 




one, the 


Church 




L propor- 


tionate 


ue of UK 


• >.., one, Mr. Wejoiian as- 


STin'i-i' 


iioiiai I 


The Droposition was 


acc' 




icil were ten- 


der 




Ir. Laird be- 

^unday of 

lie Gospel 

oming, a 

md a 



\ ■: ,-..:n-ii:!Mi.'ntinii \c ' ,- 

■' ■>'.': s riydn i roui 

M tnfmber of the 

•■ ' bis 

-sted 

His resiL'Tiation 

-rded. Tin seere- 

• to him tlie action 



laajstomte of ti^e Mtio. Samuel latrD 

of Council and to reciprocate the expressions of 
Christian love in his letter. The pastor also pre- 
sented a letter from Mr. J. S. Newmeyer, containing 
his resignation. The resignation was accepted and 
the letter laid upon the table. September 9 the resig- 
nation of Mr. J. H. Lyday was also received and 
accepted. 

The disaffected faction which withdrew from the 
congregation after the final decision of the Supreme 
Court, bought a church property on Hand Street, and 
secured the services of the Rev. J. W. H. Stuckenberg. 
The venture there was not successful. 

On the fourth Sunday in June Mr. Laird was in- 
stalled as pastor. The sermon was preached by the 
Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Seiss of Philadelphia, the service 
being conducted by Dr. Passavant. 

The Council decided that the next Communion, to 
be held on the first Sunday in October, should be in 
the morning instead of the afternoon as heretofore, 
and that the services preparatory to it should be held 
on the Friday evening preceding. 

September 9, it was resolved that the delegate from 
the congregation to the Pittsburgh Synod be in- 
structed to vote for the union of the Synod with the 
General Council. 

When the Ministerium of Pennsylvania finally with- 
drew from the General Synod (Lancaster, 1866) it 
authorized an invitation ' ' to all Evangelical Lutheran 
Synods, ministers and congregations in the United 
States and Canada which confess the Unaltered 
Augsburg Confession" to attend a convention for 
the organization of a general ecclesiastical body ''on 
a truly Lutheran basis." This convention met in 

[101] 



fim (tnqXi^}) iLuti^eran Cl^urc]^ 

Trinity Cliurcli, Reading, Pa., December 12-14, 1866. 
Thirteen Synods were represented. The Rev. G. 
Bassler of the Pittsburgh Synod presided. The 
theses on "Principles of Faith and Church Polity" 
prejDared by Dr. Krauth were discussed and adopted 
as the basis of the proposed organization.^ Novem- 
ber 20, 1867, the General Council itself was organized 
at Fort Wayne, Ind., in the church in which the Gen- 
eral Synod had held its sessions the year before. The 
Pittsburgh Synod a few weeks before (October 15) 
had adopted, by a vote of sixty-three to twenty-one, 
the ''Fundamental Principles of Faith" proposed for 
the General Council. At this time a small faction 
consisting of ten pastors and seven lay delegates 
withdrew, and, claiming the name, were afterward 
recognized by the General Synod as the Pittsburgh 
Synod, although the courts subsequently ruled that 
this was illegal.^ 

November 11, a formal invitation was extended to 
the General Council, which it was hoped to organize 
less than two weeks later in Fort Wayne, to hold its 
second meeting in the First Church in Pittsburgh in 
1868, and this invitation was accepted. 

January 6, 1868, the congregation elected Messrs. 
John Brown, William W. Wattles, and Col. James 
Sheafer members of the Church Council. 

In accordance with a suggestion made by the pas- 
tor the following dates were agreed upon for special 
collections : Beneficiary Education, second Sunday in 



' Jacobs, " History of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the 
United States ", page 471 ff. 

' Burgess, " The General Synod in Western Pennsylvania ", page 
109. 

[102] 



pamtatt of t])t MtiD. Samuel taith 

February; Home Missions, second Sunday in May; 
Synodical Fund, Sunday prior to meeting of Synod; 
Orphans' Home, Thanksgiving Day. 

February 23, at a special meeting, the Council con- 
sidered the request of the Ladies' Relief Society for 
a collection to be taken in the church to aid them in 
their efforts to relieve the suffering poor of the city. 
It was resolved, instead of a public collection, to 
appropriate one hundred dollars from the Indigent 
Fund. 

The following committee was appointed to arrange 
for the entertainment of the General Council in 
November; Messrs. Thomas H. Lane, William P. 
Weyman, Dr. Lange, and Cols. Armor and Sheafer. 
This second convention of the General Council was 
notable chiefly for an exhaustive discussion of the 
''four points," the questions concerning chiliasm, 
secret societies, pulpit and altar fellowsliip. The 
Council defined its position on these disputed ques- 
tions and these declarations largely determined the 
attitude since taken by other Lutheran bodies, the 
Joint Synod of Ohio, the Iowa Synod, and the Mis- 
souri Synod, towards the General Council itself. 

The Church Book, which had been in process of 
formation for several years by the Ministerium of 
Pennsylvania prior to the organization of the Gen- 
eral Council, was introduced at this time. October 15, 
the treasurer of the congregation was authorized to 
purchase two hundred copies, which were sold to the 
members at cost. The book was first used in the 
services on November 8, a short time after its publi- 
cation, and when the General Council met on Novem- 
ber 12, it found its own book in the pews. The full 

[103] 



ifir^t Cngli)^]^ JLutl^eran Ci^urc]^ 

Service, however, was not introduced at that time, 
inasmuch as it was thought that the people were 
not prepared for it. At the annual meeting in Janu- 
ary, 1872, the congregation, by an almost unanimous 
vote, adopted the recommendation of the Council to 
introduce the full liturgical order. The pastor gave 
full explanation of the several parts of the Service 
and it was then employed in public worship with 
entire satisfaction. 

The Rev. AV. Berkemyer was introduced by the 
pastor and granted permission by the Council to col- 
lect funds in behalf of the Emigrant House in New 
York. 

During this year (1868) the Ladies' Sewing Society 
was organized with Mrs. George Black as president. 
The Society has had a very useful and honorable 
career. In its forty years of active existence it has 
enlisted the interest of many of the women of the 
congregation and it continues to-day in its industrious 
and churchly way to further the interests of the 
parish and of the Master's kingdom at large. 

May 11, 1870, the sum of one hundred dollars was 
appropriated to the Rev. J. Q. Waters, for his work in 
East Liberty, where Christ Church had been organ- 
ized the year before, and shortly after this Mr. 
Waters was given the privilege of collecting in the 
congregation for the mission. 

June 25, the choir committee reported that Messrs. 
B. F. Weyman, Charles Baer, and Peter Young pro- 
posed, if the Church Council would appropriate the 
sum of three hundred and fifty dollars annually, to 
act as organists in the Church and Sunday School 
and at all other services during the week, and also to 

[104] 



pamvatt of ti^e Eeti* Samuel latrD 

engage a soprano to lead the singing at all services, 
and to supply the music. The committee was author- 
ized to accept the proposition. 

At the very close of this year occurred the death 
of Mr. George Weyman. He had lived to see the 
congregation, which he was so largely instrumental 
in founding, and for which he had labored and sacri- 
ficed so unsparingly, firmly established, prosperous, 
active in assisting other struggling congregations, 
and influential and respected in the councils of the 
Church at large. 

The pastor announced his death December 30, 1870, 
and the following resolutions were unanimously 
adopted : 

' ' Whereas, in the Providence of God, George Weyman, at 
noon on Christmas, was taken from his family, the Church 
and this community by death, after a long life spent in 
devotion to their interests, and 

" Whereas, we are moved by affectionate gratitude to 
record onr profound sorrow at the bereavement which this 
event has occasioned, and our testimony to the worth of the 
departed, therefore, 

*' Resolved, That as a Church, we deplore the loss of a 
" Father in Israel " who in the office of Elder, a position 
he occupied with unvarying fidelity since the organization 
of this congregation, proved ever faithful, vigilant and kind ; 
whose walk and conversation were unblamable, his zeal untir- 
ing and his faith unwavering. 

" That as associates, we lament the absence of one who 
was ever wise in his counsels, prudent in his actions, gentle 
in his demeanor and faithful to his obligations. 

" That we recognize the Mercy of our God in moving His 
heart to the establishment of this Church, and to the endur- 
ance of those trials of faith to which he was subjected during 
[105] 



ifir^t (Englijs]^ JLuti^eran Ci^urcl^ 

its years of struggling, borne as they were with unfaltering 
trust and unfailing courage, and in sparing him to realize 
the fruition of his hopes and labors in its permanent estab- 
lishment and in its peaceful prosperity and enlarged use- 
fulness. 

" That we hereby tender to his family our deepest sym- 
pathy in their sorrowful bereavement, invoking upon them 
the benediction of Him who has graciously revealed Himself 
as the Father of the fatherless and Friend of the widow. ' ' 

Mr. Weyman was a man of fatherly spirit, firm in 
his convictions, gentle in his intercourse, and was 
greatly beloved by the congregation that was so much 
indebted to him. On one occasion, being deeply 
wounded by remarks publicly made by a member of 
the radical faction, he would not ajDproach the Com- 
munion table until the matter was satisfactorily ad- 
justed. Accompanied by Mr. Laird, his pastor, he 
waited upon the offender, and came to a brotherly 
understanding with him, and then only felt free to 
partake of the Lord's Supper. He lived to a good 
old age and passed away honored by the community, 
and deeply mourned by the congregation. 

June 12, 1871, the thanks of the Church Council 
were tendered to Messrs. B.F. Weyman, Peter Young, 
and Charles Baer for their efficient services in con- 
ducting the music of the congregation during the pre- 
ceding year, and Messrs. Weyman and Baer were re- 
quested to take charge of the music in the Church 
and Mr. Young, the music of the Sunday School and 
Wednesday evening service. 

July 3, the Council adopted suitable resolutions 
upon the death of John Brown, a deacon or the 
Church. 

[lOG] 



pastorate of ti^e Eeti* Samuel LairD 

October 11, the distribution of funds collected for 
the relief of sufferers from the fire in Chicago was 
entrusted to the Ladies' Sewing Society, who were 
actively engaged in forwarding supplies to be dis- 
tributed by the pastors of the different Lutheran 
churches of that city. One hundred dollars were also 
appropriated from the Indigent Fund for this 
purpose. 

A collection was also authorized in aid of the mis- 
sion in Rochester, N. Y., served by the Rev. Reuben 
Hill. 

Repairs were made to the church building at an 
expense of $967.64, and the collections for the same 
amounted to $908.00. 

Early in the year 1872 a committee consisting of 
Messrs. W. F. Lang, J. A. Kaercher, and Col. James 
Sheafer was appointed to solicit contributions to 
extinguish the Church debt, and also to secure contri- 
butions additional to the pew rents to meet the cur- 
rent expenses. 

The lot of ground at the southwest corner of 
Penn and Ninth Streets, which had been purchased 
as a site for the proposed new church building, 
had been deeded to Messrs. George Black, J. S. New- 
meyer, and Thomas H. Lane, as trustees. Just at 
that time the Confederate forces of the South had 
penetrated into Western Pennsylvania as far as 
Uniontown, Fayette Co. The owner of the lot, under 
these circumstances, hesitated to part with it, believ- 
ing that it was safer for him to hold the ground than 
to take the money. The Church Council, fearing that 
if there was any delay the owner might withdraw 
from the sale of the property, accepted the deed as 

[107] 



jfirjst d^nglijsi^ Luti^etan Ci^urci^ 

written in the name of trustees instead of the name 
of the corporation. In course of time the trustees 
were requested to deed the property to the Church. 
Mr. Newmeyer, who had acted with the opposition, 
desiring to retain the congregation in connection with 
the General Synod, refused to sign the deed. Suit 
was brought to compel him to do so. This was pend- 
ing in the Courts for some time, and during the litiga- 
tion Mr. Newmeyer died. The Supreme Court decided 
in favor of the congregation. 

August 5 occurred the death of Mr. George Black. 
He was a prominent business man of Pittsburgh, a 
Director of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and largely 
interested in transportation lines. He was a regular 
attendant at the services of the First Church, and 
being possessed of ample means contributed liberally 
to its support, and to the furtherance of missions 
and works of mercy. He was a man of superior 
ability, of pleasing address, tactful, considerate, 
generous, and kindly. He died unexpectedly after a 
brief illness, and his loss was greatly deplored. In 
him the Lutheran Church had a warm friend and all 
its various causes suffered when he was removed. 

March 3, 1873, the choir committee reported that 
Mr. B. F. WejT2ian, who had tendered his resignation 
as organist, would be willing to continue in charge of 
the music provided an appropriation of eight hun- 
dred dollars was made for the ensuing year, be- 
ginning May 5. This amount was appropriated. 

July 7, the pastor formally announced the death of 
Mr. D. A. Foulke, an elder of the congregation, and 
the Council later adopted a suitable minute. 

[108] 



fo "" o 




JOHN A.KAE.RCMER 



JOaiB.KAERCfiER 



:.L.LANS I 

84| 



UBS. JENNIE SPEAR! 



MBS.SCHRIBER 



|c.GElS5ENnAlNER 
|l07 


W.A.PASSAVANT.O.D. 


1 DR. CLANG. 
|l05 


.1 


|,„ 


J.B.NOBBS 1 
70 1 


1 DAVID GROUNDS 

MRS. MURPHY 
llOl 


681 


1 MISS SPEI6EL 

MRSCHAS.ZIMMER 
199 


W.B.M'COMPSEY 1 


1 W.W. WATTLES 


KJSS URAMM 1 
641 


1 A. H. LAME 

Us 




u 


WM. BARKEP.Jp. 1 
60| 


1 JAMES SHEAFER 


J. S. SEAMAN 1 
58 1 


1 MISSANNIE MILLEP 
MHS.JOHN GRIPP 

Iss 


HENRY BALKEN 1 
561 


1 F.CKOHNE 


"" '■""%.! 


1 E.R. FUHR 
GEO. KIM 

las 


MRS.M.K.MECKERT 1 
5. A.3TEWART 

sal 


. MISSES KIM 
J.n.NIEBAUM 
|83 


J. p. SMITH 1 
50 1 


I MlSS HEINZ 


EKIL DAUB 1 
48 1 


|, 


«l 


j CHAS.M.MYEPS 
j^^.C.KOH.E 


JOHN KPAN2 1 
CA.GEISSENMAINEP 


1 F.W.KRAEMIER 
|7S 


..1 



1 INFIRMARY 
\7i 


..1 


u 


MISS FOPSYTHE j 
321 


1 PASTOR 
|69 


J.S.SCULLY 1 


\^f.T.ZZ 


JOS. RAMBO 1 


1. 


MRS. J. D.FACKINErI 


1 TMOS.H.LANE 
I53 


MRS.&EO.J.DUFF 1 
241 


1 GEO. BLACK 


4 


1 WM.f1. BLACK 


W, WARREN wattles! 
BOI 


1 MRS. DR. WOLFE 
|57 


WM.5IEBERT 1 

ml 


iMBS.LOUlSftOEVORE 
I55 


A.E.FRANK 1 
151 


1 MPSKATEWENKE 
153 


CHAS.F.FRASCH 1 
14 1 


1 MRS. CM. KELLY 


W.A. ZAHN 1 
MISSES KERL 

12 1 


1 MISS M.L.BROWN 

0. LEMON 
I49 


MRS.E.J.HARLAN 1 
MRS.C.EARLEY 

10 1 


Ir 


OPILQUIST 1 
MRS.LC.ECKER 


1 MRS.JOHN WEISS 
I45 


MRS HEUN 1 
E.MAbSINGHAM 


1 J.B.ERWIN 
143 


IDA VANDERGRIFT 1 
MISS K.SWAIN 


1 MI56ESSHAFFER 
141 


.1 






J.C.AUFMAMMER 



JOSEPH WATSON 



ERNEST WESSEL 



PEW PLAN OF THE SEVENTH AVENUE CHURCH 



pa^tovatt of ti^e Bei3, Samuel Mitt} 

A committee of five, Messrs. Thomas H. Lane, 
William F. Lang, D. M. Armor, John A. Kaercher, 
and William P. Weyman, was appointed to consider 
the price at which it would be deemed advisable to 
offer the present church property for sale, and the 
time and manner of making such an offer. 

January 4, 1874, at the congregational meeting, 
upon motion of Mr. W. F. Lang, it was unanimously 
decided to appropriate the sum of six hundred dollars 
from the fund accruing from the rental of the church 
lot to meet the deficiency in the treasury. 

May 4, after a somewhat extended discussion of 
the subject of building a new church edifice, it was 
decided to appoint a committee to consider the char- 
acter and cost of a suitable structure preparatory 
to laying the matter before the congregation. The 
committee, which consisted of the pastor and Messrs. 
AVeyman, Kaercher, Wattles, Lange, and Lane, re- 
ported favorably upon the project of building and 
recommended submitting the question to the congre- 
gation. 

This was done at a congregational meeting held 
June 10, and the following preamble and resolutions 
were submitted by Mr. Thomas H. Lane on behalf 
of the Council: 

" Ten years have passed since with a commendable fore- 
sight sanctioned by the favor of Providence, this congrega- 
tion was enabled to acquire a property located at the corner 
of Penn Avenue and Ninth Street whereon to erect a church 
edifice which would be better adapted to the convenience and 
comfort of the congregation and which would augment its 
influence upon the community; and whereas, our present 
church edifice, if its occupancy be continued for any consid- 
[109] 



fim tnqXi^}^ Lutl^eran €\^nu\^ 

erable period, will require a large outlay in order to restore 
it to and preserve it in proper condition, therefore, 

" Resolved, That with grateful remembrance of those of 
our brethren now departed, who labored so earnestly and 
contributed so liberally towards the accomplishment of 
this end, and in humble reliance on Almighty God and 
chiefly for the promotion of His glory, that we do now pro- 
ceed to the consummation of our long deferred intention by 
the erection of a suitable church edifice upon said property. 

" Resolved, That in furtherance of the foregoing resolu- 
tion we will dispose of the present church and property and 
that the amount realized from its sale be devoted to the pro- 
posed church edifice, with the addition of such funds as may 
be contributed towards that purpose. 

" Resolved, That to carry successfully into effect the fore- 
going resolutions, there shall be appointed by the president 
a committee consisting of thirteen persons of whom the 
pastor shall be one, who are hereby empowered and in- 
structed to make sale of the present church and property; 
to collect such additional funds as may be required ; to adopt 
a suitable plan for a new church edifice and to make all 
contracts required for the building and completion of the 
same. ' ' 

The vote for adoption was unanimous. The com- 
mittee finally named was: the Rev. Samuel Laird, 
John A. Kaercher, William F. Lang, William P. 
Weyman, W^illiam W. Wattles, Col. D. M. Armor, 
J. S. Seaman, Thomas H. Lane, C. Beringer, Henry 
Balken, W. Barker, Jr., John A. Wolfe, and Dr. C. 
C. Lange. 

This committee at once proceeded with the work. 
Mr. James H. Windrim of Philadelphia, afterwards 
Supervising Architect of the United States, was en- 
gaged to prepare plans for a building, and the plans 

[110] 



^a)Storate of tl^e Mt^. Samuel lairti 

which he submitted were greatly admired. Two 
members of the committee made a trip east to inspect 
different churches, the pastor going as far as Hart- 
ford, Conn., to view a church constructed of Westerly- 
granite, which the architect proposed to use in the 
new structure. A severe money stringency, however, 
in the community, occasioned peculiarly depressing 
financial conditions, and compelled an indefinite post- 
ponement of all plans for the erection of the new 
edifice. 

After the improvement of the financial condition 
of the community, the congregation again undertook 
preparations for building. But just at this time the 
United States Government came into Pittsburgh to 
select a site for a new Post Office. Among the three 
places that were indicated and put under condemna- 
tion was the property of the congregation on Seventh 
Avenue, between Smithfield and Grant Streets. As 
a consequence this property could not be sold, and the 
purpose of the congregation was again thwarted. 
This state of affairs continued for a considerable 
time. The Government finally decided to build the 
Post Office on Smithfield Street, between Third 
and Fourth Avenues. The Seventh Avenue property 
was then released from condemnation, but only a 
short time intervened before the close of this pas- 
torate, and nothing further was done in this direction 
at that time. 

At the annual congregational meeting early in 1875, 

the auditing committee reported a deficiency in the 

treasury of $1180.33 and a balance in the Indigent 

Fund of $186.68. The committee appointed to sug- 

[111] 



$im €nq\i^}^ Lutl^eran €\)utct^ 

gest a plan to increase the revenues made the follow- 
ing report : 

" The undersigned committee appointed at the meeting 
of the Church Council held on the 28th ult. to suggest some 
plan by which to increase the revenue of the congregation 
and thereby to avoid the deficit which is annually to be pro- 
vided for, would respectfully report that after due consid- 
eration, they know of no better plan than for the members 
of the congregation to make subscriptions of such amounts 
as they may be willing to give towards the support of the 
Church in addition to the assessments they now pay for pews 
or sittings. The amounts thus subscribed may be collected 
with the pew rents, or otherwise, as the preference of the 
subscriber would decide. ' ' 

The report was accepted and Messrs. John A. 
Kaercher, Col. D. M. Armor, and Thomas H. Lane 
were appointed to prepare and print a statement of 
the Church's finances to be sent to all the members. 

About this time the Sunday School Association 
subscribed one thousand dollars to the Theological 
Seminary at Philadelphia, which had been established 
in 1864. The Association gave a note for the amount, 
and payments of one hundred dollars and accrued 
interest were made every year until the entire sum 
was secured. After this was accomplished annual 
appropriations were regularly made to Home and 
Foreign Mission work, which plan is still continued 
with ever increasing amounts. 

May 21, 1875, occurred the death of Mr. F. A. 
Heisely, one of the founders of the congregation. 
During its early struggles for existence his faith in 
the ultimate success of the movement never wavered, 
and he aided and encouraged his fellow-worker, Mr. 

[112] 



^amtatt of ti^e m^. Samuel lairD 

Weyman, in entire confidence that a congregation 
would grow out of the feeble beginning that had been 
made. He was the delegate of the congregation to 
the West Pennsylvania Synod when an earnest 
appeal was made by the congregation for aid. A 
man of a cheerful, happy disposition, he was deeply 
interested in the congregation's welfare, and fond 
of relating incidents in its early history. His 
memory deserves to be perpetuated for the services 
he rendered it. 

Mr. Edward Eahm died July 28 of this year. He 
was a banker in Philadelphia and later in Pittsburgh, 
where he came into connection with the First Church 
early in its history. He was a generous supporter 
of the Church and of the charitable work with which 
it was associated. In later years he was severely 
afflicted, suffering from paralysis. On one occasion 
his pastor was accompanied in a visit to him by Dr. 
Krauth. Mr. Rahm referred to the funeral of a 
neighbor which was held that day, and remarked that 
he did not understand why so useful a man had been 
taken, and he, no longer of use in life, should be 
spared. Dr. Krauth replied, ''They also serve who 
only stand and wait." It seemed to comfort him. 
He bore his afflictions with great patience and resig- 
nation and his death was greatly regretted. 

Mr. B. F. Weyman resigned his position as organist 
and conductor of the music of the congregation, July 
first. The Council expressed its appreciation of his 
services in resolutions stating that 

" Whereas, during a period of five years, he has rendered 
the Church in that capacity most faithful and important 
8 [113] 



fit^t c^nglijsi^ Lutl^eran Ci^utc]^ 

services, especially valuable during the introduction of our 
existing form of worship, . . . therefore, 

'* Resolved, That we accept his resignation with regret, 
and in doing so, would tender the thanks of our congregation 
both for his services as a musician and his example of loyalty 
to its claims upon the time and the talents of its member- 
ship to aid in perfecting the praises of the Sanctuary. ' ' 

The choir committee was instructed to confer with 
Mr. Weyman respecting the purchase of his interest 
in the organ by the congregation. The committee 
was also instructed to organize a volunteer choir and 
to engage Mr. McCompsey as organist and to employ 
a tenor singer. The control of the music was placed 
in charge of the committee. 

July 12, this committee reported the engagement 
of Mr. McCompsey as organist and of Mr. Diehl as 
leader of the music, each to receive three hundred 
dollars per annum. Also that Mr. Weyman offered 
to convey his interest in the organ to the Church for 
the consideration of his note amounting to eighteen 
hundred dollars, which amount had been borrowed 
from the Church Lot Fund as part of the investment 
he had made in the organ. This offer was accepted 
and the treasurer instructed to cancel and return the 
note. 

Reference has already been made to the organization 
of the City Missionary Society during Mr. Hill's 
pastorate and to the establishment of St. John's Sun- 
day School. The synodical controversy early dis- 
banded the Society and the abandonment of the Sun- 
day School was seriously considered, but finally the 
Sunday School of the First Church determined to 
maintain it. Mr. George Hubley was the first super- 

[114] 



^amtatt of t^t Eeti* Samuel lairD 

intendent, Messrs. C. C. Baer and Charles H. Gilles- 
pie succeeding him. The rent for the room in which 
the mission was begun, on the third floor of a build- 
ing at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Pride Street, 
was very high, and for a long time greatly em- 
barrassed the Sunday School. Arrangements were 
made with the German Lutheran congregation for 
the use of their church on Pride Street, near Fifth 
Avenue, for the sum of $150 per annum. The rental 
was assumed by the congregation and the Sunday 
School moved to its new location. During the summer 
the School of the First Church met in the morning, 
and its superintendent, Mr. Lane, also served at the 
afternoon sessions of the mission. Mr. William W. 
Wattles then became its superintendent and was suc- 
ceeded by Mr. Charles A. Geissenhainer. During Mr. 
Wattles' superintendency Mrs. Henry Phipps, then 
Miss Annie Shaffer, was the organist and led the 
singing of the School. 

In 1869 the Council decided to secure a suitable 
lot for a church edifice and to build a chapel for the 
accommodation of the School and for holding other 
ser\dces ; also, if possible, to obtain the services of a 
missionary to take special charge of this enterprise. 
Messrs. William F. Lang, George Black, Charles 
Meyran, and Col. D. M. Armor were appointed a com- 
mittee for this purpose. The pastor collected about 
$3000 in furtherance of this project. A lot was not 
obtained at this time, but subsequently Mr. George 
Black offered to donate a lot at the corner of Forbes 
and Jumonville Streets. Mr. Black, however, died 
a few weeks after making this offer, without carrying 
it out. His wife, Mrs. Jane B. Black, knowing his 

[115] 



fim (Bnq\i0i^ lutl^emn Cl^urci^ 

intention, gave a lot from her own ground, also at 
the corner of Forbes and Jumonville Streets, and 
thus fulfilled her husband's wish. A contract was 
made with H. E. White & Son for the building of a 
chapel for $3425.00. Late in the fall of 1876 the 
School, led by Mr. Laird, marched in procession from 
the German church to the new chapel. The building 
was consecrated free from debt the Sunday after 
Christmas, 1876, and served until it gave place to 
the handsome building now used by St. John's 
congregation. 

May 7, 1877, the sudden death of Mr. WiUiam P. 
Weyman was formally announced to the Council by 
the pastor. A son of Mr. George Weyman, he had 
been in active connection with the congregation all his 
life. He was a Sunday School worker, an active mem- 
ber of the Council, and had served faithfully as 
Church Treasurer for a period of ten years. He was 
very successful in interesting others in the work of 
the Church. During the Civil War he was a member 
of the U. S. Christian Commission, and earnestly en- 
gaged in relieving the wants of needy soldiers, espe- 
cially of the sick. His untimely death deprived 
Pittsburgh of one of its most promising citizens, and 
the Lutheran Church of one of its best supporters. 
Col. James Sheafer was elected treasurer to succeed 
him. 

July 2, Mr. Diehl, leader of the choir, was relieved 
and Mr. McCompsey, the organist, took entire charge 
of the music. 

At the close of this year the congregation received 
from Mrs. Jane B. Black the sum of one thotisand 
dollars, to be held in trust with the interest that 

[116] 



>;ir;3t r 



: uteri' 

riio . 
t 



ij]]. 



tlie fall of 1876 the 

. . ,,ed in procession from 

new chapel. The building 

'•e Sunday after 

1 ofave place t§ 

' V St. John's 



William Fl 



'' ' - ' v>,. Council bj 

the pa.^nr. :,n. hft hai 



^^ 



i 

, espe- 

leprived 

omising citizens, a: i 

its best sup] 

treasurer to 

elieved 
charge 

•a received 

'lolfeand 
st that 



I^ajstorate of ti^e Beb. Samuel LairD 

should accrue therefrom, and to be applied to the 
contemplated new church building. 

During this pastorate Albert F. Seibert, Geo. H. 
Gerberding, and Oscar V. Holmgrain, from among 
the young men of the congregation, entered the 
ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

The movement which resulted in the establishment 
of a Church in the East End was begun by Mr. Laird. 
He conducted services on Sunday afternoons in the 
German Lutheran Church in East Liberty, having 
the occasional assistance of the Rev. G. A. Wenzel. 
When the Rev. James Q. Waters resigned St. Peter's 
Church, Philadelphia, and came to Pittsburgh, he was 
placed in charge of this work and supported in part 
by the First Church. The congregation was organ- 
ized June 25, 1869, with twenty-three members. A 
dwelling house on Station Street was purchased from 
Capt. Duff, for $1800. The partitions of the rooms 
on the second floor had been removed, making a good- 
sized hall. Here the congregation held its services. 
The building was later sold for $2800. Another lot 
was purchased and a chapel costing $8000 erected on 
it, during the ministry of the Rev. J. Q. Waters. 

During this pastorate the First Church made an 
earnest effort to provide for the religious care of 
the Swedes, quite a number of whom were working 
in the iron mills and other industries of the city. 
The Rev. John W. Kindborg, a Swedish student in 
the Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, was called 
as their pastor. The church building was placed at 
their disposal, whenever it was not used by the con- 
gregation for its own purposes. A congregation grew 
out of this movement. Mr. Kindborg also ministered 
[117] 



firjst c^ngli^]^ JLutl^emn Cl^urc]^ 

at Brady's Bend and at Titusville, Pa., Mayville, N. 
Y., and at other places in New York and eastern 
Ohio. Several congregations of Swedes were or- 
ganized at these various places. Mr. Kindborg re- 
turned to Sweden, but he was succeeded by other 
pastors who continued the work among their country- 
men which he had inaugurated. The credit of com- 
mencing tliis Swedish work is due to the First 
Church. 

In addition to the above a noble proposal was made 
by Mr. George Black, in the interest of the Scandi- 
navians. In a letter to Mr. Laird, his pastor, dated 
November 8, 1869, he refers to the great want of 
ministers among the Lutheran Swedes and Nor- 
wegians who were settling in the West in great 
numbers. His letter continues: 

"Would it not be a good idea and sound policy to send 
a competent person or persons to Sweden and Norway and 
get from there several young men who will keep these 
people together in the * true faith.' . . . You will be among 
these people at Chicago [at the meeting of the General 
Council] ; would it not be well to consult and see if this 
project is tangible. I will produce the funds for it, say three 
to five thousand dollars, to pay the expense of the parties to 
go there and the expense of men back to this country." 

To carry out this proposal Mr. Laird consulted the 
Rev. Dr. T. N. Hasselquist and arranged with him to 
go to Sweden, His idea was to get students graduat- 
ing from higher literary institutions there to come 
here for their theological training in the Seminary 
of the Augustana SjTiod. This was done and all ex- 
penses were paid by Mr, Black. It is thus evident 

[118] 



pamt^tt of tl^e Mt\}. Samuel lairD 

that the First Church of Pittsburgh had no small 
share in promoting the interests of the Swedes in this 
country. 

In June, 1879, Mr. Laird received a call from St. 
Mark's Church, Philadelphia, and submitted his 
resignation as pastor of the First Church. The com- 
munication was received by the Council and referred 
to a committee consisting of Messrs. Lane, Lang, and 
Armor. The report of this committee was adopted 
and the Council proceeded in a body to visit the 
pastor, personally to urge their reasons for his re- 
maining. In a letter of June 30, however, Mr. Laird 
conveyed his final decision and asked Council to 
accept his resignation, to take effect the end of July. 
The letter concludes as follows : 

" I cannot close this communication without bearing tes- 
timony to the courteous and fraternal spirit which has 
marked our official intercourse since the day that I came 
among you, more than twelve years ago. In all my relations 
with you, in pubhc and private, I have received only kind- 
ness, I began my work among you almost a stranger. We 
have lived and labored together as brothers. Your consid- 
eration for my comfort, your furtherance of my plans, your 
steady support and assistance rendered in church work, and 
the gentleness and love you have ever manifested towards 
me, have indeed made my ministry a happy one. And now 
that it is about to be brought to a close, I can only render 
you the return of my sincerest thanks, but shall ever pray 
that our gracious Lord will bestow upon you all the ' fullness 
of the blessing of the gospel of Christ, ' and with the fondest 
memories shall always remain, 

Your attached friend, 

Samuel Laird." 

[119] 



firjst c^nijltjs]^ Luti^eran ci^urci^ 

The resignation was accepted witli great regret, 
the Council adopting the following resolutions: 

" Whereas, the Rev. Samuel Laird has communicated to 
the Council of this Church the fact that he has accepted a 
call extended to him by St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran 
Church of Philadelphia to become its pastor, and in conse- 
quence tenders to us his resignation as pastor of our con- 
gregation, to take effect at the close of the present month, 
and requests from us an acceptance of the same : 

''Resolved, That we yield a reluctant compliance to his 
request, deploring the occasion which terminates a connection 
formed more than twelve years ago, and notwithstanding the 
many severe and unusual trials that have befallen us during 
that period, nevertheless it has been characterized by unity, 
tranquility and prosperity. 

"Resolved, That though we cannot arrive at the same con- 
viction as our pastor, as to his duty in the premises, yet we 
humbly pray the Great Head of the Church that He will 
overrule all to His honor and glory and the best interests of 
His earthly kingdom. 

" Resolved, That we hereby tender him our earnest wishes 
and prayers for his success and happiness in his new field 
of labor, and hope that the fraternal feelings heretofore 
existing between us, and that the personal loves and friend- 
ships formed, may be cemented rather than weakened by 
separation." 

On the last Sunday in July, 1879, Mr. Laird 
preached his farewell sermon, having served the con- 
gregation as its pastor twelve years and three 
months. 

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Laird was born in New Castle 
Co., Delaware, Feb. 7, 1835. In young manhood he 
became a member of St. John's Church, Philadelphia, 
and graduated from the Philadelphia High School 

[120] 



pmotatt of ti^e m% Samuel LatrD 

and the University of Pennsylvania. He abandoned 
the study of law for theology. Ordained to the 
Lutheran ministry in 1861, he accepted a call to St. 
Luke's Church, Philadelphia. In 1864 he became 
pastor of Holy Trinity, Lancaster, Pa., and in 1867 
came to Pittsburgh. He has been pastor of St. 
Mark's, Philadelphia, for a period of nearly thirty 
years. He was one of the founders of the General 
Council, and its secretary for nine years; president 
of the Pittsburgh Synod; president of the Ministeri- 
um of Pennsylvania for three years; treasurer of 
the Ministerium of Pennsylvania, and for many 
years has been a director of the Theological Seminary 
at Philadelphia and its treasurer. He has ever been 
an active and valuable member of many of the im- 
portant Boards and Committees of the General Coun- 
cil and the Ministerium of Pennsylvania, being 
specially interested in Missions and Church Exten- 
sion. He is also a director of the German Hospital 
and the Mary J. Drexel Home, Philadelphia. In 1901 
he was a delegate of the General Council to the Gen- 
eral Lutheran Conference held in Lund, Sweden. 




CHAPTER X 

pamvatt of ti^e Beb* €DmunD i3elfour, ^.1^. 

1880-1892 

R. THOMAS H. LANE was 
elected chairman of the Council 
to serve during the vacancy. 
Arrangements were made in the 
fall with the Rev. Enoch Smith, 
of Grreensburg, Pa., to supply 
t) the pulpit on alternate Sundays. 
The Council, finally, by a unanimous vote, recom- 
mended the Rev. Edmund Belfour, of Chicago, to the 
congregation, and at a congregational meeting, 
November 19, 1879, he was elected pastor, by a vote 
of ninety-eight to two. The call was made unanimous 
and the salary fixed at $2800 per annum. The call 
was accepted and Mr. Belfour entered upon his duties 
here February 1. 

February 7, 1881, upon the death of Mr. P. W. H. 
Latshaw, one of the deacons of the congregation, 
appropriate resolutions were adopted by the Council. 
Throughout the entire history of the congregation 
the Indigent Fund was constantly drawn upon for 
relief of the poor, support of theological students, 
appropriations to Hospital and Emigrant work. 
Ministerial Relief, assistance to disabled clergymen 
and even to cripples and other unfortunates. No 
one can measure the real extent and value of this 
blessed ministry of mercy so quietly extended. 

[122] 



pamtatt of ti^e Bet* ^Dmunu i3elfour 

August 1, the death of Col. D. M. Armor, which 
had occurred July 26, was formally announced by 
the pastor and suitable resolutions were passed by a 
standing vote. Col. Armor's death was universally 
lamented. His fine natural abilities, developed by a 
collegiate education and private study, made him an 
exceedingly valuable and faithful member of the con- 
gregation. Although of a modest and retiring dis- 
position, his courage and capacity were recognized by 
the military authorities and won unsolicited and 
deserved promotions in the service. 

September 12, Mrs. Jane B. Black presented to 
the congregation a lot adjoining St. John's Chapel. 
The pastor was instructed to convey to her the thanks 
of the congregation. She also later gave eight thou- 
sand dollars toward the Building Fund of St. John's 
Church. 

February 6, 1882, the Penn Avenue and Ninth Street 
property was leased for one year to William F. Lang 
for $1100, the lessee to pay the taxes. 

December 28, an offer of $50,000 was made for this 
lot by Haworth & Dewhurst. A committee was later 
appointed to ascertain if a suitable building could be 
procured for the use of the congregation in the event 
of the sale of the church. 

At the congregational meeting held January 1, 1883, 
reports showed the following balances: In Church 
Lot Fund, $9,633.93, in Church Building Fund, 
$1,341.96, in Indigent Fund, $528.66. 

At the suggestion of the pastor a committee was 
appointed to prepare and forward a letter to the 
Rev. Dr. Charles P. Krauth, expressing the congre- 

[123] 



firjst cBngli^]^ Hutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

gation's sympathy with him in his continued illness 
and its earnest solicitude for his welfare. But two 
days later the Council received the sad intelligence of 
his death. The pastor and Dr. A. Lange were ap- 
pointed to represent the congregation at the funeral, 
Friday, January 5, in Philadelphia. Mr. Thomas H. 
Lane also attended the funeral. The committee previ- 
ously appointed was instructed to send a letter of 
condolence to the family. In recognition of Dr. 
Krauth's eminence in the Church and the world of 
learning, the church was draped in mourning. 

November 5, 1883, Mr. Thomas H. Lane made a final 
report upon the perfection of title held by the congre- 
gation to the property at Penn Avenue and Ninth 
Street, and handed over the deeds conveying the trust 
in which the property was placed at the time of its 
purchase, the deeds being signed by John C. New- 
meyer, administrator of Jacob S. Newmeyer, de- 
ceased, Alexander M. Black, administrator of George 
Black, deceased, and Thomas H, Lane, 

The four hundredth anniversary of the birth of 
Martin Luther was celebrated by a service in the 
church, November 11, with appropriate decorations, 
music, and sermon. 

Early in the year 1884, the Council considered the 
question of engaging a quartette choir, and finally 
authorized the choir committee to employ a suitable 
person to give instruction in music to such members 
of the congregation as might be willing to attend and 
also to lead the music in the Church services, at a 
salary not to exceed $400. 

More than a year later the committee reported hav- 
ing engaged Prof. McCollum to give lessons in vocal 

[124] 




THE Rev. EDMUND BELFOUR, D.D. 



\\ iiiiii 1 



no I 



1-. A. La. 

• Ml at Uie iuneral, 



P^ :, . Mr. Thomas H. 

Iq timerai. The committee previ- 

Qii^ v,^t,n.^^A<l to send a letter of 

f.Qy. a recognition of Dr. 

LUiirch and the world of 
! raped in moumini?. 
.\ovemU'i iiomas H. Lane ma 

^,,1 ,, , , ; of title held by th 

t Penn Avenue and Minth 
; ihe deeds conveying the trust 
was placed at the time of its 
/ signed by John C. New- 
Jacob S. Newnieyer, de- 
mder M. iviack, admin ' f George 

^ed, and 'J ''^.omas H. L. 
hundredth anniversary of the birth of 



n- 



M.'naa^n.K'w.tiC'inwiHctWaMLieidered the 
choir, and fir. ' 
H-. r(u II employ a suituli' 

ve instn -^ to such members 



■|(->^ hnv 



pamtatt of ti^e Mz\). ciBDmunD OBelfour 

music to the young people of the Church at $5.00 per 
lesson. June 7, 1886, a bill of $110 for these services 
was honored. 

November 3, 1884, the Council requested Mr. Lane, 
in view of the approaching semi-centennial of the con- 
gregation, to collect all material accessible for a his- 
tory of the congregation from its organization. 

At the annual congregational meeting in January, 
1885, Mr. Balken offered the following resolution : 

' ' Whereas, the Church lot belonging to this congregation 
at the corner of Penn Avenue and Ninth Street, by the 
changes and encroachments of business traffic and also in the 
changes of the residences of our people, has become unsuit- 
able as a site for the erection of a church ; and 

'' "Whereas, parties have made inquiries after the prop- 
erty for business purposes. 

'' Resolved, That this congregation does hereby invest the 
Church Council with authority to sell and convey said prop- 
erty for a sum not less than $75,000.00, it being left to the 
discretion of the Church Council whether to sell or not, 
without further authority from the congregation unless 
otherwise ordered." 

After considerable discussion a motion to adjourn 
to meet on Monday, January 12, prevailed. The ad- 
journed meeting passed the resolution by a vote of 
twenty-nine to five. 

Upon motion of Mr. George W. Geissenhainer the 
congregation decided that 

" Whereas, There has been an annual deficit of about 
$600 in the revenues of the congregation and often a lack 
of the amounts assessed upon it by the Synod ; and 

" Whereas, It is not expedient to have the periods for 
[125] 



mm Cnglijsj]^ JLutl^emn €t)mct^ 

the collection of that which has been laid aside for the Lord 's 
work placed at long intervals, therefore 

" Resolved, That we return to the early and churchly 
custom of weekly collections and that such collections be 
taken as a part of the regular service, according to Lutheran 
usage, the first weekly offering to be received on Easter 
Sunday morning of this year. ' ' 

This action concerning the offerings is explained 
by the strong feeling which had existed years before 
against the so-called ''penny collection," and which 
had led to its discontinuance as undignified, and not 
a real ''offering" or a proper part of worship. 

About this time an offering was taken to aid in 
rebuilding the Lutheran Church in Rochester, Pa., 
recently destroyed by fire. 

June 7, the Rev. J. Q. Waters, serving a mission 
congregation in Alliance, Ohio, stated that they were 
menaced with a loss of their property if not aided. 
The Council agreed to pay the interest on the mort- 
gage for $1,875 at the rate of seven per cent., provided 
an extension of two years be obtained from the 
holder. 

While thus actively assisting other congregations, 
much earnest thought was being given to the ques- 
tion of securing another location and building a new 
church. 

July 6, a committee consisting of Messrs. William 
W. Wattles, J. S. Seaman, and Henry Balken was 
appointed to learn at what price the property at the 
corner of Grant Street and Strawberry Alley could 
be obtained and to report as soon as possible? 

July 27, a communication was received from M. 

[126] 



pamtatt of ti^e Eet» cBDmunti OBelfour 

Seibert & Company, the owners of a part of the 
propert}^ on Grant Street, offering their share, con- 
sisting of 100 X 94 feet, for $45,000, the offer to remain 
open three weeks from date. Dr. F. Bese, the owner 
of twenty feet on the corner of Grant Street and 
Strawberry Alley, offered to sell this portion for 
$11,500. The committee was requested to prepare a 
statement descriptive of the property to submit to 
a congregational meeting. The meeting was held 
August 12, and organized with the pastor as chair- 
man and Messrs. Thomas H. Lane, vice-president, and 
B. F. Weyman, secretary. 

The following communication was considered: 

" The Council of this Church having received the offer 
of a plot of ground as a site for the new church which we 
have so long contemplated building, and being convinced 
of its advantageous character, have deemed it their duty to 
call this meeting of the congregation and to submit this 
proposition for consideration and decision ; and in order that 
the material facts in the case may be brought out and a clear 
understanding of its merits attained, the following state- 
ments are submitted : 

" First: Geographical Location of the Lot. — It fronts on 
Grant Street from Strawberry Alley to a line within a few 
feet of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and extends 
back to Foster Alley. It is therefore central, easy of access, 
and very near our present location. 

" Second: Surroundings of the Lot. — In front is Grant 
Street. On the right is a church separated by a private 
passageway; on the left is Strawberry Alley, on which a 
public schoolhouse fronts at a distance of twenty feet from 
the building line and a like distance from the Grant Street 
line, bringing the lot into bold relief. At the rear is Foster 
[127] 



fim c^glijg]^ Luti^eran Ci^urci^ 

Alley, which at this point is exceptionally good in the char- 
acter of its buildings. The lot therefore is open on all four 
sides, affording ample light, ventilation, and safety against 
fire. Sewer, water, and gas connections are complete on 
the premises. 

" Third: The Size of the Lot. — It has a frontage of 120 
feet on Grant Street and a depth of 94 feet to Foster Alley, 
being nearly twice as wide as the lot we now occupy and 
only six feet less in depth. Only on such a large lot, afford- 
ing room for grass and trees, can an edifice appear to advan- 
tage. The expenditure of $50,000.00 would probably make 
a more pleasing showing than one of $75,000.00 on a narrow 
lot, so important is the bearing of the surroundings. 

" Fourth: The Price of the Lot, $56,500.00, which by 
common consent is very cheap. More than two years ago,the 
Council appointed a committee to ascertain whether a suit- 
able church lot could be secured, and although they made 
diligent inquiry, they found none until the one now under 
consideration was offered. Owing to the increasing demands 
of business, good lots are constantly becoming more scarce 
and more expensive. The present is an exceptional case. 

" Fifth: The Financial Question. — A mortgage of $18,- 
000.00 rests on the lot offered us and does not mature for 
several years. Subtracting this amount from the purchase 
price, $56,500.00, $38,500.00 remains to be provided for. If 
we sell the Penn Avenue lot for $75,000.00 and to this add 
the amount of the Church Lot Fund in hand, namely, $12,- 
000.00, we would have $87,000.00 available. Paying $38,- 
500.00 on the lot, we would still have $48,500.00 for building. 
We might with this in hand finish the new church, continu- 
ing in the meanwhile to occupy the present edifice, and the 
current interest on the $18,000.00 would be no more than 
rent which we would have to pay for a temporary place of 
worship if this building were torn down to make way for 
another. The cost of building is at present very low, about 

[128] 



pamtatt of ti^e met>. cBDmunti OBelfour 

25 per cent, less than a few years back. We have an instance 
of this in the fact that four years ago the lowest bid for 
building a public schoolhouse in a certain part of this city 
was $43,000.00. The erection was delayed until this summer 
and now the contract has been let for $31,000.00. 

" Sixth: A new church is desired and needed. It is 
needed to carry out the fundamental purpose of the donors 
of the Penn Avenue property. It is needed to satisfy the 
earnest wishes of our people in general according to repeated 
expressions. It is needed for the comfort of the congregation 
and especially for the interests of the Sunday School. It is 
needed to replace the present building, which is falling into 
decay. It is needed for the honor of the great Lutheran 
Church which we represent in this city. It is needed above 
all as a testimonial of our reverence for God and His wor- 
ship. The serious question which ought to be met and deter- 
mined is whether the present time and circumstances are not 
such as should call forth prompt action on the very important 
matter of deciding on a suitable site for a new church and 
proceeding to build it without delay. Within two days an 
answer must be given positively in regard to the offer now 
before us. Others are awaiting the opportunity to pur- 
chase the lot." 

Upoii motion of Mr. "William B. Wolfe, it was 
resolved to purchase the site and to build a new 
church. Upon motion of Mr. J. B. Duff, it was re- 
solved to pay the price named for the lot, $56,500, 
or less. Both resolutions were passed unanimously. 
The meeting adjourned to meet September 9. 

September 9, the Council reported to the adjourned 
meeting of the congregation that the purchase had 
been made and that the deeds were held by the con- 
gregation. A slight reduction in price had been ob- 

9 [129] 



firjst Cnulijsi^ Lutl^eran Cl^urcl^ 

tained from M. Seibert & Company and the final cost 
of the entire property was : 

M. Seibert & Co $44,400 00 

Dr. F. Bese 11,500 00 

$55,900 00 

Cash paid M. Seibert & Co $5,400 00 

Mortgage given them 21,000 00 

Mortgage due Mrs. Arthurs 18,000 00 

$44,400 00 

Cash paid Dr. F. Bese 3,500 00 

Mortgage given Dr. Bese 8,000 00 $55,900 00 

February 1, 1886, a rough estimate of the cost of 
building a church according to the plans and specifi- 
cations already in the possession of the Council was 
first secured, but a committee consisting of the pas- 
tor, and Messrs. Thomas H. Lane, William F. Lang, 
Henry Balken, and W. G. Armor was appointed to 
make inquiries in regard to new plans. 

May 10, the architect, Mr. Andrew Peebles, ex- 
plained to the Council the drawings he had submit- 
ted. The Council approved the plans for a one- 
storied church and chapel with certain modifications, 
but a final vote was postponed until a later meeting. 
May 15, the modified plans were finally approved, 
though the interior arrangements were left for future 
decision. Five hundred lithographic prints of the 
plans were prepared by Mr. William G. Armor and 
distributed to the members of the congregation, with 
special ground plans for each member of the Council. 

July 12, five members were granted certificates of 
dismissal to unite with the Emanuel congregation in 
Allegheny, the Rev. J. Q. Waters, pastor. 

[130] 



laajstorate of ti^e Mt^. €timunD l3elfour 

November 1, a communication was received, signed 
by a committee of three, representatives of confirmed 
members of the OJiurck who were engaged in the 
St. John's mission Sunday School, asking permission 
to have a congregational service in the chapel. Action 
was deferred. 

November 16, a special meeting of the Council 
considered the offer of Mr. John Caldwell to pur- 
chase the property on Penn Avenue and Ninth Street 
for $75,000, cash payment to be $25,000, and the 
balance payable in two years and secured by a bond 
and mortgage bearing five per cent, interest; pos- 
session to be given December 1. The proposition was 
unanimously accepted. The lot when bought for the 
congregation during Mr. Hill's pastorate had cost 
$20,000. 

The money received was given to the treasurer of 
the Church Lot Fund and Mr. Lane was authorized 
to pay off the Arthurs mortgage of $18,000 on the 
Grant Street property, and to pay Mr. David Black 
his commission of one per cent, for effecting the sale, 
and the attorney's fees. Mrs. Arthurs declining to 
receive payment of her mortgage before its maturity, 
Mr. Lane was authorized to take up the mortgage of 
$21,000 held by M. Seibert & Co. The Church Lot 
Fund and the Building Fund were consolidated, to 
be known thereafter as the Building Fund. 

January 3, 1887, the Council was authorized to sell 
and convey the church property at Seventh Avenue 
and Miltenberger Alley for such sum as might in 
their judgment seem adequate. January 10, Messrs. 
Thomas H. Lane and William F. Lang were ap- 
pointed to negotiate the sale of the church property, 

[131] 



fim Cnglijj]^ Liitl^emn Ci^urcl^ 

and a building committee of seven was chosen, four 
members of the Council and three of the congrega- 
tion, as follows : From the Council, the pastor, Messrs. 
Thomas H. Lane, Wilham F. Lang, and J. S. Sea- 
man ; from the congregation : Messrs. B. F. Weyman, 
W. Warren Wattles, and John S. Scully. Mr. Wey- 
man declining the appointment, Mr. George P. Black 
was subsequently elected a member of the committee 
by the Council. 

January 24, an adjourned meeting of the congre- 
gation approved the building committee selected by 
the Council and adopted the plans proposed, provided 
the cost would not exceed $60,000. 

The following preamble and resolutions, proposed 
by Mr. Lane, were adopted by a standing vote: 

" "Whereas, The present year is the fiftieth anniversary 
of the organization of this congregation, being its first 
Jubilee, 

'' Resolved, That we devoutly acknowledge the goodness of 
Almighty God in enabling us to signalize its occurrence by 
undertaking the erection of a new church edifice. 

'' Resolved, That in view of the blessings bestowed upon 
us as a congregation, in the years which have passed, we not 
only ' thank God and take courage,' but we do solemnly 
pledge ourselves to verify our gratitude to the Giver of them 
all by renewed and increased devotion to His Church, of 
which, by His grace, we are members." 

The Eev. Dr. Reuben Hill occupied the pulpit 
June 17, and presented the interests of the Theol- 
ogical Seminary at Philadelphia. 

Considerable difficulty was experienced in making 
a proper foundation for the new church. In exxjavat- 
ing, the workmen came upon a strong flow of water 

[132] 



^Bajstorate of ti^e Eet. cBtimunD idtlfom 

at tlie northeast corner at a depth of fourteen feet. 
To lead this away and to reinforce the foundation, a 
drain was constructed, and piles were driven to a 
depth of thirty feet along a part of the alley side and 
also along a section of the rear wall. This involved 
an additional cost of five thousand dollars. 

Sunday, November 6, at 2.30 p. m., the corner stone 
was laid. The weather was exceptionally fine and the 
attendance large. The order of service was that pro- 
vided by the Ministerium of Pennsylvania. The 
hymns were numbers 291 and 11, from the Church 
Book. The address was delivered by the Eev. J. A. 
Kunkleman, D.D., Mr. Belfour laying the stone. On 
the Grant Street side of the stone was the inscription, 
''Founded 1837, built 1887"; on the Strawberry Alley 
side, "I. H. S." The following articles were placed 
in a copper box in the southeast corner of the tower : 
copies of the Bible, the Church Book, the Sunday 
School Book, the Fundamental Principles of the Gen- 
eral Council, the General Council Constitution for Con- 
gregations; Printed Minutes of the General Council, 
1886 ; Minutes of the Pittsburgh Synod, 1887 ; Church 
papers (The Lutheran, The Workman, The Herald 
und Zeitschrift, and a Swedish paper) ; autographic 
list of the names of the pastor, officers of the Church, 
officers and teachers of the two Sunday Schools, 
officers of the Ladies' Society, members of the choir 
and of the building committee; printed program for 
the laying of the corner stone, and print of the church 
building on Seventh Avenue ; and an historical sketch 
of the congregation from its organization, compiled 
by the pastor. 

[133] 



jfiv^t c^ngli^]^ Lutl^emn Cl^urc]^ 

At a special meeting of the congregation, it was 
decided to borrow $50,000 from tlie Dollar Savings 
Bank, mitil December 7, 1888, $25,000 to be drawn 
when the papers are executed and the balance on or 
before June 1, 1888, with interest at six per cent. 
The loan was secured by assigning the bank as col- 
lateral the bond and mortgage of John Caldwell for 
$50,000, dated December 7, 1886. 

The pastor announced that it been decided to place 
the following inscriptions: over the entrance in the 
tower, ''God is Our Refuge and Strength"; over 
the porch entrance, ''Reverence My Sanctuary." 

A congregational meeting held October 12 decided 
upon the purchase of a new organ and a committee 
of five was appointed to contract for one not to ex- 
ceed five thousand dollars in price ; though if a suit- 
able one could not be procured for this amount, an 
additional $500 might be expended, which sum should 
include the cost of the motor. The committee con- 
sisted of the Rev. Mr. Belfour, and Messrs. W. 
B. McCompsey, B. F. Weyman, William W. Wattles, 
and G. W. Geissenhainer. 

The Union Veteran League made inquiry concern- 
ing the lowest price for which the congregation would 
sell the old church and the amount of cash required. 
The price was fixed at $60,000, with $25,000 in cash, 
the balance in nine equal annual payments bearing 
five per cent, interest. 

December 5, the pastor announced the offer of Mr. 
B. F. Weyman to present a marble baptismal font 
for the new church as a congregational memorial 
to the Rev. Charles Porterfield Krauth, D.D., LL.D. ; 
the font to be a copy of the celebrated angel font 

[134] 



^a^torate of ti^e Eeti* d^DmunD l3elfour 

carved by Thorwaldsen for the Lutheran Vor-Frue- 
Kirke (Church of Our Lady) of Copenhagen, Den- 
mark. Mr. Weyman thus fulfilled the desire of his 
sister, Miss Harriet K. Weyman, whose purpose to 
make this gift had been frustrated by her sudden and 
universally lamented death a few weeks before. The 
Council gratefully accepted the offer and on behalf 
of the congregation expressed their thanks for the 
generous proposal. 

January 2, 1888, the reports showed that beside the 
regular Synodical interests, special collections had 
been taken during the year 1887 for Thiel College, 
$254; for the Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, 
$2,250 ; for the Swedish Church, Lawrenceville, $600 ; 
Allegheny Mission, $250; Braddock Mission, $150; 
Orphans' Home, $250. 

At this same meeting a paper was read by Mr. 
C. A. Geissenhainer, which concluded as follows: 

" Resolved, That, as the complete usages in the Services 
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church are approved by' this 
congregation, the Council is authorized to procure the 
clerical robe commonly used in the Lutheran Church, and 
further that its use shall be introduced at the consecration 
service of the new church edifice." 

The resolution called forth only favorable expres- 
sions but a final decision was postponed for a special 
meeting. This was held October 3, and the resolution 
was adopted by ballot by a vote of 43 to 14. 

The Society for Parish and Mission Work was or- 
ganized April 20, 1888, in the lecture room of the 
Seventh Avenue Church. The wide range of its 
activities may be seen in the following extract from 
the Preamble of the Constitution which was adopted : 

[135] 



fir^t Cngltisi^ JLuti^eran Ci^urci^ 

" The cultivation of closer acquaintance and Christian 
relationship among our people; the cordial introduction, 
welcoming and visitation of new members ; the gathering of 
people into the Church, and of children into the Sunday 
Schools; paying friendly attention to visitors at our public 
services ; directing the attention of the pastor to persons who 
need his services and may be influenced for good ; seconding 
the efforts of the officers of the Church in assisting and com- 
forting the poor, the sick, and those otherwise afflicted; 
mutual edification and encouragement by gathering and 
imparting information concerning the need and opportunities 
for church-work at home and abroad, and giving and gath- 
ering means for the work of missions and mercy." 

This society has been most diligent in the work for 
which it was established. It has ever been one of the 
most active and efficient organizations in the congre- 
gation and is to-day doing splendid service in the 
parish and for the Church at large. 

The cushions used in the pews of the old church and 
the benches used in the Sunday School were donated 
to the East Liberty Lutheran Church. The carpet 
was given to St. Thomas German Lutheran Church 
in Allegheny. The altar, baptismal font, and reading 
desk were given to the Lutheran Church ox Philips- 
burg, Pa., the Rev. W. A. Passavant, pastor. The 
organ was sold to the Methodist Episcopal Church 
in Oakland for $1,000. 

The building committee was later authorized to 
negotiate for a mortgage to be placed on the old 
church for the sum of $30,000. 

An invitation was extended to the General Council 
at its meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., in the fall to 
hold its next session in the First Church, Pittsburgh. 

The pew committee reported a general plan to 

[136] 



sil^^sa ■ -i!2fe *S*S: 




4it^ 



II 



li 



-J or acquaint >ir. 
• people; the ^ 
. ...v.n of new member o, ^x,^. , 
lurch, and of children into 1' 
" !ly attention to visitors at onr 
I tention of the pastor to person 
y be influenced for 
of thf^ Chnrch in o 



11 le worK tor 
^'Ti one of the 



■<1 to 

< : old 

. V 'v'iiiicil 
lie fall to 
'' ttsrburg:li. 
' plan to 



laajJtorate of ti^t Eeb. c^Dmunti l3elfour 

secure the required revenue for the new church in 
the scale of rents for pews with annual subscriptions 
amounting to $1,000. 

The following farewell services were arranged to 
be held in the old church : Communion Service on the 
14th of October, the Rev. G. A. Wenzel preaching the 
sermon; October 21, the morning sermon by the 
Eev. Dr. W. A. Passavant, and the evening sermon 
by the Rev. J. K. Melhorn; October 28, the Rev. 
Reuben Hill to preach at the morning service and the 
pastor at the final service to be held in the evening. 

November 4, 1888, was determined upon as the date 
of the consecration, the sermon to be preached by the 
Rev. Dr. Samuel Laird. Special Sunday School ser- 
vices were arranged for half-past two o'clock in the 
chapel. The Rev. J. A. Kunkleman, D.D., President 
of the Pittsburgh Synod, was invited to preach in 
the evening. The last hymn at this service was writ- 
ten by the pastor for the occasion, and together with 
a picture of the old church, was printed for distri- 
bution. The pastor wore the clerical robe, begin- 
ning with the first service in the new church. The 
consecration services were favored with beautiful 
weather and the church was crowded to its capacity. 

This edifice, the second to be erected by the congre- 
gation, is a Gothic structure of sandstone, with a single 
story above the basement. The church proper has two 
main entrances and is in the form of a Greek cross, 
the nave having a depth of seventy-four feet with an 
equal width in the transepts, providing comfortable 
seating capacity for above five hundred persons. On 
the northeast comer there is a tower and spire one 
hundred and seventy feet in height. The chancel is 

[137] 



ifit^t (Bnq,li&^ JLutl^eran O^iuxi^ 

well elevated, wliile the organ and choir space occupy 
the western side of the north transept. Communi- 
cating with the church through the south wall is the 
Chapel, a stone structure fifty by thirty-two feet in 
size, used for Sunday School and other parish pur- 
poses. Adjoining the Chapel at the west end is a 
suite of three rooms for the use of the Bible Class, 
the Primary School, the Ladies' Society and the 
Church Council, extending originally the entire width 
of the church in the rear of the chancel. Considering 
the time of its erection, the structure is quite well ar- 
ranged. The total cost of ground and building as 
originally completed and furnished, including the 
organ, was $150,000. 

The Ladies' Sewing Society contributed $2,400, 
their savings for twenty years, toward the erection 
of a marble altar and the placing of other chancel 
furnishings. Mrs. Theodora W. M. de Haan made a 
special offering of $500 to the Church Window Fund. 

The committee appointed by the congregation to 
secure an organ made a contract with Johnston & Co., 
Westfield, Mass., for an organ and motor at a cost 
of $5,250.00, and the same was installed in the new 
church before the dedication. The organ was of 
three manuals and pedal with thirty-two stops in all, 
and was, for its period, a very satisfactory instru- 
ment. 

The first regular meeting of the Council was held 
in the new church November 5. 

December 3 the Council extended ''its hearty 
thanks to the members of the building committee for 
the faithful and highly satisfactory manner in jvhich 
they have carried out their difficult and laborious 

[138] 



pamvatt of ti^e Mtt. c^DmunD l3elfowr 

trust in erecting and bringing to completion a cliurch 
edifice tliat in all its parts is a joy to every member 
of the congregation as well as an honor to Hini to 
whose service it has been consecrated." 

The pastor, Dr. Belfour, had been untiring in his 
labors, and his services during the entire undertaking 
were invaluable and received the especial apprecia- 
tion of the congregation. 

About this time the Society for Parish and Mission 
Work was given permission to use the basement of 
the church in setting type for the paper they proposed 
to issue quarterly, but the plan was soon discontinued. 

Towards the close of this year the Council ''re- 
quested the choir committee to take immediate action 
to improve the music in the church." 

February 4, 1889,the choir committee reported that 
Mr. B. F. Weyman proposed that if the Church would 
pay $800 per annum, which amount would include the 
services of an organist and the repair of the organ, 
he would obligate himself to provide acceptable music 
under the supervision of the choir committee. The 
proposition was gratefully accepted. 

April 1, the sale of the Seventh Avenue property 
to the Central District and Printing Telegraph Com- 
pany for $58,000 was reported. The purchasers as- 
sumed the mortgage for $30,000 held by the Dollar 
Savings Bank and gave their note for $28,000 payable 
September 1, 1889. This note could be discounted 
without recourse, making the net amount $57,300. 

The General Council convened in the church Octo- 
ber 10. Some of the delegates were entertained in 
the families of the congregation, others were pro- 

[139] 



fim Cnglijsi^ Lutl^emn Ci^urci^ 

vided for at the hotels. Messrs. J. A. Kaercher, B. 
F. Weymau, W. F. Lang, and the pastor were the 
committee in charge of all arrangements. The young 
men of the congregation arranged an enjoyable ex- 
cursion on the river for Saturday afternoon. 

The marble baptismal font was placed in position 
and solemnly set apart for its sacred use at the ser- 
vice on Sunday morning, the Eev. J. Fry, D.D., 
preaching the sermon. The American sculptor Park, 
in Florence, Italy, had been commissioned by Mr. 
Weyman to execute the work, an exact copy of Thor- 
waldsen's Angel of Baptism. The pastor was re- 
quested to communicate to Mr. "Weyman the full 
appreciation and heartfelt thanks of the congregation 
''for the valuable and costly gift, which as one of the 
chief adornments of the church and as a beautiful 
work of art will perpetuate the memory of Dr. Krauth 
and of the Weyman family, to both of whom the 
congregation owes a great debt of gratitude." 

November 7, the following communication was 
presented to the Council : 

" We, the undersigned, agree to pay annually (in quar- 
terly installments) the sums set opposite our names for the 
purpose of paying the salary of an assistant pastor for the 
First English Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh. 
The duties of said assistant pastor to be to officiate in the 
First English Evangelical Lutheran Church of Pittsburgh 
and in St. John's Mission Church controlled by said First 
Church, as he may be directed by the vestry and pastor of 
said First Church. The salary of said assistant pastor not 
to exceed $1,000.00 the first year, and thereafter to be deter- 
mined by Council. ' ' 

[140] 




THE KRAUTH MEMORIAL BAPTISMAL KONJ 



135 ^^^ 

"'. -- e hotels. Mec: „. _ 

a, W. F. Lang, and the pastoi 
:«M;;!:iriet^ m cli' '' " ements. 

m^n of the col d an en.i' 

on the river for Saturday af'temoon. 

in ir] 1,> liaptismal font was placed in position 

I apart for its sacred use at the ser- 

lorning, the Rev. J. Fry, D.D., 

11. The American sculptor Park, 

i been commissioned by Mr. 

v\ ork, an exact copy of Thor- 

•tism. The pastor was re- 

"^ Weyman the full 

"f the congregation 

h as one 







Mswiiu |i;is ■ i.,ir me 






"hureh in i'lttsburgh. 






: ! iate in the 






Pittsburgh 




i/OM JAUPAll 


said First 
1 pastor of 


8fl; 




t said assistant pastor not 


to . -.. 




■AUf] i),,^v,. ,ft,.r t-r, Iw? /lotpf- 


mined ) 







pamvatt of ti^e Mtt. c^timimt) l3elfoiir 

B. F. Weyman, John B. Kaercher, 

Geo. P. Black, Jas. W. Kim, 

Wm. H. Black, Geo. A. Watson, 

H. W. Sellers, Jacob Lang, 

J. A. Barker, E. W. Belfour. 

The Council approved the proposition and heartily 
commended the young men who submitted it. A 
committee of five was appointed to ''devise a plan 
under which this important work can be carried out, 
which plan the Council would report favorably to 
the next congregational meeting. ' ' 

December 3, the committee recommended the ap- 
pointment of a sjDecial committee to consider a 
minister suitable for the position; that the labors 
of the assistant pastor be devoted chiefly to St. John's 
Mission in building up the Sunday School, holding 
public services, and in pastoral visitation with a view 
to gathering a congregation ; that he render such ser- 
vices in the mother Church as the Council may direct; 
and that he give his entire time to the duties assigned 
him. The report was adopted and referred to the 
approaching congregational meeting. 

January 6, 1890, the proposition and the action 
recommended by the Council were approved and the 
Council was authorized to call an assistant pastor. 

January 20 occurred the death of Dr. Arnold Lange 
and, with great sorrow, a memorial minute prepared 
by Mr. Thomas H. Lane was adopted by a rising 
silent vote of the Council. Dr. Lange had been re- 
ceived into the Church in 1841 and had served almost 
continuously since January 5, 1846, as a member of 
the Council. The resolutions speak of him as "one 
of the oldest, most revered and beloved members." 

[141] 



ifim €nq\i^]) JLuti^eran Ci^urcl^ 

The api3 ointment by the pastor and secretary of 
a committee of five ladies was authorized, to be known 
as the chancel committee, to have charge of the chan- 
cel and altar furnishings. 

The Rev. F. P. Bossart was called as assistant pas- 
tor, at a salary of $1,000 per annum. Mr. Bossart's 
acceptance of the call was announced March 3. 

April 14, it was resolved to hold Sunday morning 
services in St. John's Mission, arrangements for 
evening services to be made as soon as deemed ex- 
pedient. Messrs. Wm. G. Armor, J. H. Niebaum, and 
Col, Sheafer were appointed a committee on the 
affairs of St. John's chapel. An advisory committee 
for St. John's Mission was also appointed, consisting 
of the Rev. F. P. Bossart, Charles Geissenhainer, and 
Sherman Massingham. It was decided that all 
moneys collected at the mission should be expended 
under the supervision of these committees for the 
local purposes of the mission and that reports of 
such expenditures should be made to the treasurer 
of the Church. The use of the chapel was granted 
the Magyars and Slavs for service once a month on 
Sunday afternoons. 

The current expenses of the congregation required 
an additional $2,000, and the Council considered 
means of securing this amount. June 2 the pastor, 
Henry Balken, and George F. Kim were appointed to 
prepare a printed statement to be sent to every mem- 
ber of the congregation, requesting contributions to 
meet the deficiency. 

July 7, 1890, Mr. Thomas H. Lane presented his 
final statement as treasurer of the Building -Fund, 
showing that all claims for the building and furnish- 

[142] 



^^a^tomte of ti^t Mt^. cDDmunD oaelfour 

ing of the church had been settled; and that the 
mortgages held by M. Seibert & Co., F. Bese, and 
Mrs. Arthurs, amounting in all to $47,000, had been 
satisfied. Thanks were extended to Mr. Lane for a 
donation and for his valuable services. 

October 14, a memorial of St. John's Mission re- 
questing the privilege of organizing as a congrega- 
tion, forty-three persons having agreed to enter the 
organization, was received and later approved, and 
the following were among the conditions required: 
That the constitution proposed for congregations by 
the General Council, with needed modifications, and 
By-laws in harmony with the same, and submitted for 
formal approval of the Council, be adopted ; that the 
pastor shall be ex oificio a member of and the presi- 
dent of the Council ; that the pastor shall be the Rev. 
F. P. Bossart and that he and his successors in the 
office shall hold their appointment from the Council 
of the parent Church until such time as the St. John's 
congregation shall become self-sustaining; that the 
organization shall be held to be a mission congrega- 
tion of the First Church until it becomes self-sustain- 
ing; that after such appointment of the Rev. Mr. 
Bossart, he shall no longer hold the office of assist- 
ant pastor in the parent Church; that it shall connect 
itself with the Pittsburgh Synod of the General 
Council; and that the Council of the First Church 
appoint a committee to be called an advisory com- 
mittee to act upon minor questions which may arise. 

The memorial which had been prepared by the 
Rev. Mr. Bossart, and which was also signed by 
Messrs. Charles A. Geissenhainer, F. Lingenfelser, 
Wm. F. Shroeder, and W. F. Kaiser, included an his- 

[143] 



ifim €n^li&^ Lutheran Cl^urcl^ 

torical sketch of the mission, which recorded the fact 
that the Sunday School of the parent Church had 
for fifteen years borne the entire expense of main- 
tenance. 

Early the following year St. John's congregation 
asked consent to ''erect a parsonage to cost about 
$5,000, the first floor to be used by the Infant School." 
The request was denied by the Council as liable to 
interfere with a future church building, and the erec- 
tion of an addition to the chapel was recommended, 
which was done. 

By July, 1891, the mission announced that it pro- 
posed to pay one-half of the pastor's salary and one- 
half of the current expenses, and Dr. Belfour sub- 
mitted a request to the Council respecting the building 
of a church. It was stated that contributions amount- 
ing to $12,000 had already been promised, and per- 
mission was asked, if they could secure enough addi- 
tional to make the sum $20,000, to solicit further 
subscriptions for this purpose among the members of 
the First Church. The request was granted with the 
proviso that the mission incur no debt in carrying 
out its desires and that all plans, specifications, and 
contracts be submitted to the Council for its approval. 

December 7, the committee appointed for that pur- 
pose reported it to be necessary that the revenues 
of the Church be increased by $1,000 a year. 

Mr. W. Gr. Armor reported having received a letter 
from Mr. B. F. Weyman calling attention to the fact 
that the time for which he had agreed to be respon- 
sible for the music of the Church, a period of three 
years, would expire April 1, 1892, and that he desired 
to be relieved. The choir committee, together with 

[144] 



^^ajstorate of ti^e Eet* c^timunD OBelfour 

Mr. W.Warren Wattles, was instructed to confer with 
Mr. Weyman, and to ' ' express to him the decided ap- 
proval of the Council of his management of the 
Church music, with the hope that he will reconsider 
his letter of withdrawal." The committee later re- 
ported that Mr. Weyman would not reconsider his 
action. They were instructed to arrange for a choir 
and to report to the Council. The Committee finally 
secured Mr. Weyman 's promise to continue his 
management of the choir. An annual appropriation 
of $2,000 was made and Mr. Weyman agreed to make 
himself responsible for all expenses of the choir and 
organist exceeding that amount. 

February 1, 1892, Mr. Lane was excused from serv- 
ing on the advisory committee of St. John's Church 
and Mr. John A. Kaercher was appointed in his stead. 
A communication was presented from the building 
committee of St. John's Church with the preliminary 
drawings of the new church. The Council expressed 
itself as pleased with the general plans and promised 
its approval of them provided the building could be 
completed without debt. The whole matter was re- 
ferred to the advisory committee of St. John's Church 
with instructions to act with the committee of that 
Church. 

April 4, Dr. Belfour through Mr. Lane presented 
his resignation to the Council in the following com- 
munication: "Dear Brethren: — I hereby offer the 
resignation of my office as pastor of the Church which 
you represent, the resignation to take effect on the 
first of July, 1892. 

Yours truly in Christ, 

Edmund Belfoue." 

10 [145] 



iftrjst cBngli?^]^ Luti^eran Ci^urci^ 

Upon motion, the resignation was accepted. 

April 26, the Council, at a special meeting, con- 
sidered the report presented by the Rev. Mr. Bossart 
concerning the proposed building of St. John's 
Church. Plans and bids were submitted. The lowest 
bid was $21,000, and it was estimated that the com- 
pletion of the church would require at least $25,000. 
The Council advised securing additional subscriptions 
or modifying the plans. 

Mr. Bossart reported May 16, that additional sub- 
scriptions amounting to about $5,000 had been 
pledged and requested the consent of the Council 
to build. It was resolved 'Hhat as additional sub- 
scriptions have been made, St. John's Church is now 
authorized to build under the plans and bid of $21,000, 
as submitted to this Council at its special meeting 
held April 26, 1892." 

Messrs. J. S. Seaman and William F. Lang were 
appointed a committee and empowered to execute all 
contracts on the part of the congregation for the 
erection and furnishing of St. John's Church, to act 
jointly with the building committee of the latter con- 
gregation. Mr. "William H. Black was afterwards 
added to this committee. 

The offering at the June communion was devoted 
to the relief of sufferers from the flood and fires at 
Titusville and Oil City. 

Mr. Thomas H. Lane was elected chairman of the 
Council during the vacancy in the pastorate and was 
authorized to have the pulpit supplied. 

In addition to the general development of the con- 
gregation Dr. Belfour's pastorate was especially 
marked by the purchase of the Grant St. property 

[146] 



pastorate of ti^e Mz)o. €DmunD OBelfour 

and the erection of the church thereon, and by the 
organization of St. John's congregation and the 
maturing of plans for the erection of its handsome 
church building. The clerical robe was also intro- 
duced in the services and the Society for Parish and 
Mission Work was organized. 

The Rev. Dr. Edmund B elf our was born in Copen- 
hagen, Denmark, August 9, 1833. Coming to America 
when he was eight years of age his family located 
in New York City, where he graduated from the Col- 
lege of the City of New York. Graduating from the 
Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 1856 he 
served St. Paul's Church, Schoharie, N. Y., as pastor 
eleven years, and St. John's, Easton, six years. He 
organized the English work of the General Council in 
Chicago, 1874-1880, establishing Holy Trinity and 
Wicker Park congregations. Since resigning the 
First Church in 1892 he has been pastor of Memorial 
Church, Allegheny. His scholarly tastes and attain- 
ments have been widely recognized and the Church 
has frequently called him to positions of responsi- 
bility and honor. For years he was President of the 
Pittsburgh Synod and for many years he has been a 
member of the Board of Trustees of Thiel College 
and a valuable member of important Synodical and 
General Council Boards and Committees. His trans- 
lation from the Danish of "Pontoppidan's Explana- 
tion of Luther's Catechism" has passed through 
many editions and is widely used. He received the 
degree of Doctor of Divinity from Thiel College in 
1886. 



[147] 



CHAPTER XI 

pamtatt of t])t Mt\). ?^atiD l^arrtjSon 

1893-1906 




INE months or more elapsed 
between the departure of Dr. 
Belfour and the arrival of his 
successor. During this period 
extensive improvements were 
made in the church building. It 
was frescoed, one of the ladies of 
the congregation offering, through Mr. Joseph S. Sea- 
man, $450 towards this purpose. Mr. B. F. Weyman 
submitted a proposition, offering to subscribe $500 if 
it was decided simply to fresco in water colors and 
not adopt electric lighting; $1,000 if the chapel and 
anterooms were done in oil and the church in water 
colors and electric lighting introduced in the church 
and chapel; and $2,500 if all the fresco work were 
done in oil and combination gas and electric fixtures 
placed throughout. The Council gratefully accepted 
the liberal proposition and the trustees with the 
addition of Mr. W. Warren Wattles were authorized 
to co-operate with Mr. Weyman. It was finally de- 
cided to fresco in oil and to introduce electricity. 
Tablets for the Psalms and Hymns were also secured. 
The reflectors and chandeliers formerly in use in 
the church were given to St. John's congregation. 
Upon the completion of the improvements it was 

[148] 



I 



pamtatt of t])t Mt^. ?^atiD f ♦ c^eijsjstnger 

found that, in addition to the subscriptions alreadj^ se- 
cured, $2,000 was required to satisfy all bills and to 
pay a note for $1,600. Messrs. Wattles and Armor 
were appointed to secure the money and a few 
months later reported a total of $2,130.94 received 
for this purpose. 

The request of the ladies of the Sewing Society to 
be permitted to re-arrange and re-furnish the chancel 
was ' ' thankfully granted. ' ' The ladies received very 
generous assistance in this work from one of the 
members of the congregation. The immediate im- 
provements which they decided to make included a 
new marble altar, in place of the one which they had 
installed in the church at the time of its erection, 
and marble wainscoting within the chancel, the height 
of the altar. This work was done and the church 
was frescoed in the summer of 1892. The altar which 
was removed was given to St. John's Church. 

It was also determined to make other extensive 
improvements as opportunity offered. These in- 
cluded the placing of a mosaic reredos and mosaic 
wall panels, the reredos to be surmounted with a 
mosaic lunette representing the Madonna and Child 
with the adoring angels; three small windows in the 
front of the church, representing the Christ, St. John, 
and St. Matthew; handsome brass candelabra to be 
placed in the chancel ; a brass pulpit and eagle lectern ; 
brass wall brackets for electric lighting and a large 
electric chandelier in the centre of the church, to re- 
place all former systems of illumination. All of these 
changes were made at different times during the next 
few years and the entire work was completed in the 
summer of 1897. 

[149] 



fir^st €nglij£J]^ Lutl^eran Ci^utx]^ 

The church was re-opened for services September 
25, 1892, the Eev. Dr. Laird preaching both morning 
and evening. He also administered the communion 
to the congregation November 6. 

The Pastoral Association was granted the chapel 
for Tuesday evening, January 3, 1893, for the pur- 
pose of organizing "The Evangelical Lutheran Mis- 
sion and Church Extension Society of Pittsburgh, 
Allegheny and Vicinity. ' ' The Pittsburgh Synod had 
authorized this organization in 1892. In 1894 it was 
incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania for 

" The establishment of Evangelical Lutheran Sunday 
Schools and Congregations in the Cities of Pittsburgh, 
Allegheny and vicinity. 

" The purchase of lots, erection of houses of worship, and 
assistance in the payment of debts." 

This work is done by loaning money for five years 
without interest, secured by first mortgage. The 
money is then returned, and is loaned elsewhere. At 
the end of every seventeen years it has saved its full 
amount in interest to the beneficiaries, and is still in 
hand. Beginning in 1893 with a working capital of 
only $43.02, its resources in 1908 amounted to 
^20,089.29, as follows: 

Cash on hand $2,627 04 

Perpetual fund 50 00 

Spring Garden Avenue property. . . . 5,000 00 

Loan Trinity Church, Verona 340 00 

Loan Emanuel Church, Allegheny. . 500 00 
Loan Memorial Church, Allegheny. . 1,790 00 

Loan Zion Church, Ambridge 2,500 00 

Thomas Avenue, Bellevue, property 7,282 25 , 

$20,089 29 
[150] 



ti .li was re-opened for ser'w 
the Rev. Dr. Laird preaching 
.1 evening. He also administered the cuimnai; .h 
iu the congregation November 6. 

The Pastoral Association was granted the chapel 

fVn Tii>-^rl;iv' evening, January 3, 1893, for the pur- 

izing "The Evangelical Tmtheran Mis- 

lension f^i ' • •■ ■ v j,.g-]^^ 

." The ^^i) 

n ill 1892. In 18: 

of Peimsiylvania 

heran Sunday 
iUsburgh, 

•iiid 



:;4M 00 

500 00 

1,790 00 

2,500 00 

7,282 25 

.089 29 



pamtatt of ti^t MziD. J^am 1^* miMmtv 

At a special congregational meeting January 25, 
1893, the Rev. David H. Geissinger, of Easton, Pa., 
by a vote of 97 to 7, was elected pastor at a salary of 
$3,000. The call was made unanimous and was 
promptly accepted, April 23 being named as the 
date of entrance upon the work. A reception was 
given to Mr. and Mrs. Geissinger by the ladies of 
the congregation in the chapel on the 26tli of April. 

The new Church Book, containing the Common 
Service, was introduced in the services the first Sun- 
day in July, the books being secured through the 
Ladies' Sewing Society. December 3, the first full 
rendering of the Vesper Service was given, the musi- 
cal setting being a manuscript arrangement of the 
Plain Song, which after years of continuous use in 
the congregation was incorporated in the published 
Service Books edited by Mr, Archer and Mr. Reed. 

September 20, Mr. G. E. Krauth was admitted 
to membership by certificate, the two surviving sons 
of the Rev. Dr. Krauth thus being members of the 
congregation. 

October 4, at a special congregational meeting, the 
building committee of St. John's Church reported 
that it would be necessary to secure $7,000 to pay all 
bills for erection and furnishing, and that to nego- 
tiate a loan it would be necessary to have the con- 
sent of the First Church, as it held title to the 
property. The Council was authorized to negotiate 
a loan for the necessary amount by executing a bond 
and mortgage. 

October 29, St. John's Church was dedicated, Mr. 
Geissinger preaching the sermon. Morning ser\dce 
was omitted in the First Church and the members 

[151] 



ifix^t (Bngli^]^ Uit\)tmn Ci^urc]^ 

attended the service of dedication in large numbers, 
rejoicing with the young congregation in its posses- 
sion of its own completed and beautiful building. 

With the first Sunday in Advent Mr. Geis singer 
began the issue of the Weekly Parish Bulletin, one 
of the brightest and best of parish papers, which has 
continued ever since to be a most useful factor in 
the congregation's life. In his own inimitable style, 
Mr. Geissinger filled its columns with bright, pithy 
paragraphs of optimistic philosophy, sound instruc- 
tion, high ideals of churchmanship, and wide con- 
ceptions of the Church's mission, as well as local 
parish items. Sound doctrine and churchly prac- 
tices were explained and it soon established itself 
as a positive, helpful factor in developing congre- 
gational intelligence, interest, and unity. For more 
than four years it appeared weekly, and since Sep- 
tember 25, 1898, when it changed its name to the 
Parish Bulletin, it has been issued at frequent in- 
tervals. 

January 17, 1894, a series of Wednesday afternoon 
organ recitals was begun. These were continued 
during Lent, and were the beginning of the beautiful 
special Lenten services which were continued for ten 
years. The service was held at four o'clock. Special 
organ music, often with violin or cello, was followed 
by appropriate Passion music by the choir, and hymns 
and the Litany by the congregation. These services 
were singularly beautiful, devotional, and helpful. 

March 5, in an effort to increase the revenues of 
the congregation, the Council determined upon im- 
portant changes in the system of collections, io go 
into effect the first Sunday in May: First, that 

[152] 



pamtatt of ti^e Beb* j^atiiD 1^* d^eijs^jsmger 

special collections be taken on the first Sunday of 
each month and that these monthly collections shall 
take the place of all special collections heretofore 
taken for benevolent objects except the Easter offer- 
ing and that for the Orphans ' Home taken on Thanks- 
giving Day: Second, that the moneys realized from 
these collections shall be paid into the treasury of 
the Church; Third, that the Church Council shall 
hereafter, at its discretion, make appropriations to 
the benevolent objects heretofore provided for by 
special collections; and all excess of funds raised 
by this means over and above what is necessary to 
provide for the usual contributions to the benevo- 
lent works of the Church shall be available for the 
current expenses of the congregation. 

June 4, the death of Dr. W. A. Passavant was for- 
mally announced to the Council. The pastor and 
Messrs. Lane and Balken were appointed to pre- 
pare a suitable minute for record. The church was 
draped for the funeral services which were held in 
it on the following Wednesday. The building was 
crowded, many clergymen from a great distance be- 
ing present to honor the memory of one who was 
recognized as one of the leaders of the Church, a 
great missionary, an influential editor, and one of 
the greatest philanthropists of the country. Addresses 
were delivered by the Rev. H. W. Roth, D.D., and the 
Rev. D. H. Geissinger, D.D. Interment was made in 
the family burying-ground at Zelienople. 

June 28, the congregation lost a most estimable 
and active member in the death of Miss Ida Sheafer, 
superintendent of the Infant School, 

[153] 



^im (Bmli&) Luti^eran Ci^urcl) 

The Pittsburgh Synod met iu the church Septem- 
ber 18, 1894. Entertainment was provided for a great 
many of the delegates by the congregation at the 
hotels at an expense exceeding $700. This was the 
fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the Synod 
in the old First Church building on Seventh Avenue. 

At the annual congregational meeting in 1895, the 
use of wafers instead of bread in the Sacrament was 
discussed and the question was left undecided for the 
''thoughtful consideration" of the members. Dr. 
Geissinger gave a full discussion of the subject in 
the Bulletin of January 20. Two years later a motion 
to introduce wafers was made but final action was 
postponed because of the small attendance at the 
congregational meeting. 

March 4, the pastor and the secretary were re- 
quested to prepare a minute relative to the death 
of the former pastor of the congregation, the Rev. 
Dr. Eeuben Hill. 

In response to a suggestion of Leander Trautman, 
Esq., an invitation was extended to the Luther 
Leagues to hold their first national convention in the 
church October 30 and 31 of this year. The conven- 
tion was a notable one, with representative men and 
women from all parts of the Lutheran Church in 
attendance, nearly four hundred delegates from 
twenty States being enrolled. The proceedings were 
di.gnified and impressive, the addresses were of a 
high order, and the singing was a noteworthy fea- 
ture. At this convention a national organization was 
effected. 

October 7, the Council unanimously passed the fol- 
lowing resolution: ^'Resolved, that the Church Coun- 

[154] 



ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH 
Built in 1893 



tntt^tXi 



ynod met iu the en .;- - 
uinment was provided for ; 

"'>n at lUv- 
- was thi^ 
ary of the or 



WO years later a motion 

'nit final action was 

attendance at th(' 



eif ecte- 

Octo])..! . 
lowine: resf ch Coun 



^vid 



::2:s were 
.'re of a 
rtliy fen 
f"o7! v;n> 



^a^torate of ti^e Eeti* ©aljits 1^. (Btimimtt 

cil does hereby convey to Mr. B. F. Weyman the 
cordial thanks of our congregation for the admirable 
electrical appliances for lighting our church and 
thereby enhancing in an eminent degree its beauty 
and comfort." 

November 4, the Altar Society was organized for 
the purpose of caring for the church vestments, pro- 
viding flowers for the altar, and arranging the chan- 
cel for the public services. The Society has ever 
accomplished its work with earnest fidelity and quiet 
unobtrusiveness. 

January 7, 1896, at the regular congregational meet- 
ing, the pastor was requested, upon the suggestion of 
Mr. Lane, to prepare a history of the congregation 
from its founding to the present. 

July 6, announcement was made that $2,000 had 
been bequeathed by the late Mrs. Jane B. Black for 
St. John's Church. This legacy was finally applied 
to the payment of the mortgage on the property. 
The pastor also reported a donation of $100 for a 
proposed congregational paper. 

January 4, 1897, the Rev. Gr. W. Critchlow, who had 
succeeded the Rev. Mr. Bossart as pastor of St. 
John's, reported to the congregational meeting in- 
creased attendance at their services, and that the 
mortgage had been reduced $3,000, $2,000 having been 
received from the estate of Mrs. Black, $700 con- 
tributed by members of St. John's congregation, and 
$300 taken from the balance in the building fund. 

The missionary zeal of the congregation was felt 
in very helpful measure by Grace Church, Allegheny, 
when, after a very precarious existence, the following 
named persons took up the work of the Sunday School 

[155] 



fit^t (Bnq\ig\^ Lutl^eran Cl^urc]^ 

and the Young People's Society: Messrs. Horace W. 
Bikle, George Gillespie, A. W. Smith, Charles G.Smith, 
T. L, Sheafer, Bertram Geissinger, Miss Ida Sheafer, 
Miss Caroline L. Ritchey, and Miss Anne E. L. 
Portzer. These persons labored with remarkable suc- 
cess, doing their work in a commonplace hall in Spring 
Garden Avenue, and in the face of a very trying en- 
vironment, beginning in 1893. Their ranks were re- 
cruited in 1894 by Mr. Charles W. Fuhr, Mr. James 
Armor, Mr. Albert Heckel and Mr. John A. Scully, 
Jr. After four years or more of earnest work the 
corner stone of a church building was laid Novem- 
ber 1, 1896, and the church was consecrated Janu- 
ary 31, 1897. The cost, including the furniture, was 
about $4,475. The Rev. J. J. Brubeck was the pastor 
in charge of the mission. The young people labored 
with mind and heart and hand, even to the setting 
up of the pews of the new church and much other 
manual labor. One of these workers, Mr. Fuhr, is 
still actively engaged in the work of that parish. 

The congregation at the annual meeting January 3, 
1898, carefully considered and unanimously adopted 
the revised constitution and by-laws which had been 
prepared by the pastor and Mr. Lane at the request 
of the Council, and they were printed together with 
a list of the first members and the successive pastors 
of the congregation. 

The following action of the Council, referring to 
the generous assistance given the ladies of the Sewing 
Society in the rearrangement of the chancel by one 
of the members of the congregation, was ordered to 
be reported to the congregation and was an item of 

[156] 



pamxatt of ti^e met^ ^am 1$. dseijsjsinger 

tlie pastor's annual report and received the hearty 
endorsement of the congregation : 

" The Church Council having deferred making formal 
expression of their delight and gratitude for the improve- 
ments added to the chancel of the church through the gen- 
erosity of Mr. B. F. Weyman, preferred to await its com- 
pletion before making such acknowledgment to him. We do 
now beg to assure him that we regard the improvement as a 
most valuable contribution to the adornment of our church, 
not only as a work of art, but also for its elevating influence, 
inspiring the hearts of worshippers by presenting to their 
contemplation that culmination of the Divine Mercy, the 
Incarnation of our Blessed Saviour. Both in the conception 
and in the execution of the improvement, our fullest desires 
have been satisfied and our most grateful thanks are tendered 
Mr. Weyman, with our sincere wishes and prayer that he 
may long be spared to share with us and our successors the 
privileges of our spiritual home. ' ' 

March 7, "authority was given the choir to wear 
vestments on all occasions when the Sunday School 
worships with the congregation." 

Another handsome memorial was installed in the 
church in the spring of this year, when three beau- 
tiful windows were erected in the north transept of 
the church, the central one of which bears the fol- 
lowing inscription: 

IN" LOVING MEMORY OF FATHER AND MOTHER. 

GEORGE BLACK, DIED, AUGUST 5, 1872, 

JANE BARCLAY BLACK, DIED, MAY 7, 1896. 

The central window is of unusual size, containing 
over iive hundred square feet of glass. It was de- 
signed by Mr. Frederick Wilson of the Tiffany 
Studios of New York. The subject illustrated is that 

[157] 



^im (inq\i0t^ lutl^eran Cl^urc]^ 

of the Twenty- Third Psalm. The window is divided 
into three lancets, the upper portion of which is a 
most beautiful and effective architectural design 
which is carried up through the tracery of the win- 
dow. In the centre lancet there is a majestic, dig- 
nified, prayerful figure of the Good Shepherd in the 
midst of the sheep. His hands are clasped and His 
eyes are raised toward Heaven as if interceding with 
His Father for the flock over which He has been 
given charge. In the side lancets are shown two 
figures of angels, — one of them holding the torch of 
Faith and the Book of Knowledge, while the other 
shows the Angel of Mercy and Peace with a palm 
branch in one hand and a circle of stars in the other. 
These two figures are intended to illustrate the con- 
cluding lines of the Psalm; — ''Surely goodness and 
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I 
will dwell in the House of the Lord forever." In 
the background of the three lancets are shown a 
number of angels grouped in prayer and adoration. 
The coloring is very rich and beautiful, the prevail- 
ing tones in the figure-panels being deep blues and 
purples, while the design in the canopies is worked 
out in different shades of amber. One of the striking 
features of the design is the fact that in spite of the 
unusual size of the window, the composition is yet 
so simple and conveys the whole story and meaning 
in a glance. The material used is Tiffany Favrile 
glass. 

The windows were formally accepted and their 
significance discussed by the pastor in a special ser- 
vice on Good Shepherd Sunday, April 24, 1898. The 
Council took the following action April 4: 

[158] 



THE BLACK MEMORIAL WINDOW 



f im en^im Lint^ttmx c^urci^ 



.-. - wenty- Third Psalm. The window is divi.i 
into three lancets, the upper portion of which is 
most beautiful and effective architectural design 
which is carried up through the tracery of the win- 
<lo^. In the centre lancet there is a majestic, dig- 
nified, prayerful figure of the Good Shepherd in the 
midst of the sheep. His hands are clasped and His 
■ Heaven as if interceding with 
iock over which He has been 
la the side lancets are shown two 
:r-]s.- >ije of them holding the torch of 
Faith and th P Knowledge, while the other 

^^^' ''"^ '^ •■ '' 1 Peace with a palm 

of stars in the other. 

ite the con- 

M-hiess and 

' and I 





1' n 
'■ n. 
1 

-Hi 




.-iLud 




One of tl- striking 




' ^1- •■- •-. of the 




is yet 


■<0 S/I' 


nd meaning 


in a ! , 


juy Favrile 


^ windo 


lally accepted and their 


significance dl 


<' pastor in a special ser- 


vice on Good >^ 


'—. April 24, 18P> "^^ 


Council took f' 


n April 4: 



y/o«/i7/ JAiaouAw mdajs aivv 



" Whereas, The children of the late George and Mrs. 
Jane Barclay Black, in loving memory of their parents, have 
caused to be placed in the north transept of our church three 
windows, the large or central one of which is of extraordi- 
nary beauty and artistic excellence, therefore, 

'' Resolved, That we hereby, for ourselves and on behalf 
of the congregation, express our high appreciation of their 
commendable act. We are especially gratified, since those 
who are thus affectionately commemorated were held in high 
esteem by those who knew them, and who for many years 
were pleasantly associated with them in the services and 
activities of the congregation. We therefore deem it emi- 
nently fitting that the memory of these faithful servants of 
the Master should be thus perpetuated. 

" We regard these windows as a valuable addition to the 
impressive and instructive decoration of our church. The 
admirably chosen design strikingly interprets one of the 
most precious assurances of the Divine Word and will thus 
be a constant object lesson to all." 

July 13, 1898, an auxiliary of the Red Cross Society 
was organized in the congregation to aid in the sys- 
tematic support of the general Society for the relief 
of suffering in the Spanish- American War. The 
officers elected were: President, Mrs. Wm. F. Lang, 
Vice-Presidents, Mrs. Wm. H. Black, Mrs. John H. 
Boyts, and Mrs. Joseph S. Seaman; Treasurer, Mrs. 
Hew C. Torrance; Secretary, Miss Carrie E. Kim. 

October 3, the Lutheran Liturgical Association was 
organized in the chapel, and continued to hold regular 
monthly conventions there for a period of seven 
years. Three special annual evening services were 
held in the church, at which addresses, afterwards 
printed, were delivered by the Revs. Edward T. Horn, 
D.D., LL.D., J. F. Ohl, Mus. Doc, and President John 

ri59] 



jfirjst c^nglijs]^ luti^eran Ci^urci^ 

A. W. Haas, D.D. The discussions of this body and 
the publications which it sent forth from Pittsburgh 
to members in no less than twenty-two States of the 
Union and four provinces of Canada, were of very 
great influence in promoting a knowledge of the prin- 
ciples and the history of Christian Worship in the 
broadest sense, and aided materially in developing 
a desirable uniformity of practice throughout all 
branches of the Lutheran Church in this country. 
The officers of the Association throughout the en- 
tire seven years of its active history were, Presi- 
dent, Eev. Luther D. Reed; Vice-President, the Rev. 
Prof. Elmer F. Krauss, D.D., Secretary-Treasurer, 
the Rev. R. Morris Smith, Ph.D.; Archivarius, the 
Rev. George J. Gongaware. 

On Sunday, January 15, 1899, the funeral services 
of Sister Louisa Marthens, the first deaconess con- 
secrated in America, were held in the church. Be- 
fore her consecration she had been an intelligent and 
active worker in the congregation and a teacher in 
the Sunday School, and her later years were full 
of continued devotion and serious responsibility. 

Authority was given the committee of St. John's 
Church to collect funds during the coming year 
among the members of the First Church in order to 
supplement the insufficient revenues. 

The decoration of the church for Easter and Christ- 
mas festivals was placed in the hands of the Altar 
Society and the Society was given an annual appro- 
priation of one hundred dollars for the purpose. 

June 15 and 16, the Second Convocation of Qhurch 
Musicians authorized by the General Council held its 

[160] 



^amt^tt of ti^e m% JBaUt) 1$. (BtiMn^tt 

sessions in the church. The papers read were after- 
wards published. 

Sunday evening, December 3, the Jubilee anniver- 
sary of the organization of the Protestant Deaconess 
work in this country was observed, and the Rev. H. 
E. eTacobs, D.D., LL,D., delivered the address. 

December 27, the request of Mr. Weyman to have 
the organ rebuilt was granted, with the understand- 
ing that the passageway in the rear of the organ 
would be closed permanently and the space thrown 
into the organ chamber. By this means and by en- 
larging the opening in the front of the organ chamber, 
room was gained for the addition of twelve new stops, 
two in the great organ, three in the swell, three in 
the choir, and four in the pedal, thus giving forty- 
four stops in all. Many new couplers, piston move- 
ments, adjustable non-moving registers and release 
pistons, pedal movements and releases were built in, 
greatly increasing the efficiency of the instrument. 
The original pipes of the Johnston Co. were used, 
being revoiced by Mr. Philip Wirsching, who made 
all the new metal pipes. The pitch was lowered to 
international 435A, which necessitated the addition 
of a new GO pipe for each stop, the setting up of 
all stops a semi-tone, and revoicing and tuning at 
that pitch. The Austin air chest was adopted on 
account of the steadiness of its wind supply, the ac- 
cessibility of all parts of the mechanism, and other 
advantages. When the organ was finally completed 
in the fall of 1900 by the Austin Company of Hart- 
ford, Conn., it was one of the very finest church 
organs in the city. The Council in behalf of the 

11 [161] 



ftrjst CngUjsl^ lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

congregation, formally expressed its grateful appre- 
ciation of the generous gift. 

The thorough cleaning, refrescoing, and general 
renovating so frequently required in a church located 
in Pittsburgh has always been an item of heavy ex- 
pense. This work in the summer of 1900 amounted 
to $2,441.69. The following amounts were expended, 
in their respective years, for this same purpose: 
1850, $807.47 ; 1869, $787.98; 1875, $1,550.00. 

Tuesday evening, October 30, the eve of the Fes- 
tival of the Keformation, the Leipzig Quartette for 
Sacred Music, Herr Bruno Roethig, Director, gave 
a memorable concert in the church. 

Beginning December 3, 1900, the Lutheran Choral 
Society met in the chapel on Monday evenings for 
some years. Under the earnest direction of Mr. 
Frank Benbow, it accomplished a great deal in unit- 
ing the young people of the various congregations in 
an effective organization which led the services and 
rendered special music very acceptably at many 
general conventions of the Lutheran Church in the 
Pittsburgh district. 

In response to appeals from St. John's congrega- 
tion, $1,100 was contributed by members of the First 
Church toward the salary account of St. John's 
congregation. 

July 1, 1901, the Lutheran Church lost one of its 
most able and active men in the sudden death of the 
Rev. W. A. Passavant, who had most successfully 
assumed the heavy responsibilities long carried by 
his father. The funeral services were held in. the 
church, Wednesday, July 3, the Rev. Drs. H. W. Roth 

[162] 



pamtatt of tl^e Mto. 3BatiD f ♦ ^etjs^jsJinjjer 

and D. H. Geissinger delivering addresses. The in- 
terment was in Zelienople, Pa. 

Saturday morning, September 14, after a week of 
most painful anxiety, the sad news of President 
McKinley's death, which had occurred at two o'clock 
that morning, was received. The services on the fol- 
lowing Sunday in hymns, anthems, prayer, and ser- 
mon took note of this great national sorrow. Presi- 
dent Roosevelt's proclamation appointing Thurs- 
day, September 19, as a day of national mourning 
and prayer was read and a service was announced 
for that day at eleven o'clock. 

This memorial service, which commemorated one 
of the most deplorable events in our country's his- 
tory, was exceedingly beautiful and impressive. The 
church was tastefully and effectively draped by Mr. 
E. R. Fulir, and was filled with worshippers, many 
strangers being present. It was a service in which 
every one was a mourner and where all felt that 
millions of others sincerely shared the sorrow. The 
service was read by the Rev. Luther D. Reed, pastor 
of Emanuel Church, Allegheny, and the address was 
delivered by the Rev. D. H. Geissinger, D.D. 

October 7, 1901, a communication was received from 
St. John's congregation informing the Council of its 
election of the Rev. William H. Fehr as pastor, and 
requesting the approval of the First Church. The 
reply of the Council offered no objection to their 
action but affirmed the unwillingness of the First 
Church to assume any financial obligation towards 
the salary of the pastor of St. John's Church. 

Towards the close of this year the ''Choral Ser- 
vice Book," edited by Mr. Harry G. Archer, the 

[163] 



fir^t cBnjjUiS]^ Luti^eran Ci^urc)^ 

organist of the cliurcli, and the Rev. Luther D. Reed, 
appeared from the press. This is the first serious 
effort to provide the historic Lutheran music for the 
historic Lutheran Liturgy in the EngHsh language. 
Together with the earlier "Psalter and Canticles" 
and the later "Season Vespers" by the same editors 
it has been in constant use in the services of the con- 
gregation ever since, and has secured a wide recog- 
nition throughout the entire Church. Mr. Archer 
and the entire choir of the First Church, after weeks 
of arduous rehearsal, rendered this music and many 
classic choir numbers at the Convocation of Church 
Musicians held under the auspices of the General 
Council in St. John's German Church, Buffalo, N. Y., 
October 8 and 9, 1901. Full Choral Matin, Vesper, 
and Communion Services were rendered and the 
Convocation was in many respects the most notable 
one in the history of Lutheran Church Music in 
America. 

August 17, 1902, Mr. Lane resigned as superinten- 
dent of the Sunday School. The Teachers' Associa- 
tion took especial note of his remarkable service in the 
School and on September 21 elected Mr. J. Harvey 
Wattles to succeed him as superintendent. 

Early in the year 1903, Mr. Weyman having inti- 
mated his desire to be relieved of the charge of the 
choir, the Council passed a series of resolutions, con- 
cluding as follows: 

" We fully recognize and profoundly appreciate the very 
great and unusual service which he has for so many years 
so cheerfully and generously rendered to our congregation 
in this department. "We learn with keen regret of his desire 
and intention to withdraw from the position he has so long 
[164] 



pamtatt of ti^e Eeb. JBaUh i^. (0ei^^inger 

and so faithfully occupied. We further instruct the choir 
committee to endeavor to dissuade Mr. Weyman from his 
purpose, or failing in that, to urge him to continue in charge 
of the personelle of the choir and its business affairs, and 
to act as an advisory member of the choir committee with 
full authority to consult with the pastor and organist in all 
matters that may claim their attention." 

February 3, the choir committee submitted a com- 
munication from Mr. Weyman, of which the following 
is a part: 

" After due consideration of the desire of the Church 
Council, I respectfully submit the following proposition: 
I will continue the management of the choir, take care of 
the organ and motor, pay water tax, or pay for electricity if 
a change of motor power be made, continue the same number 
of voices, nine or more, and the organist, for the sum of two 
thousand dollars a year, beginning May 1, 1903." 

Certain provisions specified in the communication 
were considered and adopted item by item. Upon 
motion of Mr. Lang in receiving and accepting the 
proposition, the Council thanked Mr. Weyman for his 
generous proposal and for remitting one month in the 
specified time for making payments under the 
contract. 

June 26, a special meeting of the Council was held 
to consider a price to be given to responsible parties 
for the sale of the church. The trustees were author- 
ized to consider an offer of $350,000 for the church 
property with certain specified reservations, and to 
report any such offer. 

At the congregational meeting January 4, 1904, the 
statement of the treasurer showed that $1,500 would 
be required for payment of obligations. The treas- 

[165] 



mm enq\i^]) tnt^ttan Cl^urcl^ 

urer and secretaiy were instructed to print the report 
and to send the same to each member of the congre- 
gation, with return envelopes addressed to the treas- 
urer affording an opportunity for contributions for 
the removal of the indebtedness. 

The Third General Conference of Lutherans was 
held in the church April 5-7. It was a splendid 
gathering of representative men from the General 
Synod, United Synod in the South, and General Coun- 
cil. One hundred and ninety-four clergymen enrolled 
and many laymen attended the sessions. The Revs. 
Henry E. Jacobs, D.D., LL.D., L. L. Smith, D.D., 
and M. W. Hamma, D.D., presided, and the secre- 
taries were the Rev. W. K. Frick, D.D., for tlie Gen- 
eral Council, the Rev. A. J. Turkle, D.D., for the 
General Synod, and Pres. James. A. Morehead, D.D., 
for the United S}Tiod South. Papers of permanent 
value were read and these together with the discus- 
sions were later printed. The Conference closed 
Thursday evening with a Choral Vesper Service 
(Advent to Ascension) at which representative 
Lutheran music was sung by the choir and congre- 
gation and an address delivered on ''The Common 
Music for the Common Service" by the Rev. Luther 
D. Reed. 

The offering for Home Missions at the Easter 
morning service amounted to $747.25 and that of the 
Sunday School at the evening service, to $404.98. 

Contributions amounting to $1,696 were subscribed 
and paid to clear the Church of all indebtedness. 

May 13, the congregation sustained a great loss 
in the unexpected death of Mr. William F. Lang. 

[166] 



pamvatt of tj^e met. J^am i^. (B^e^jsiinger 

For forty-three years he was a faithful and devoted 
member of the congregation. During the greater 
portion of that time he had been a valuable member 
of the Church Council, wise in counsel and unhesi- 
tating in the performance of duty. Appropriate 
resolutions were adopted by the Council. 

July 11, the pastor presented an appeal from St. 
Mark's Lutheran Church, New York, in behalf of 
the sufferers from the recent appalling disaster of 
the burning of the General Slocum, an excursion 
boat filled with the members and friends of the con- 
gregation. More than eleven hundred persons lost 
their lives. An offering was taken July 24. 

The resignation of Col. James Sheafer as treasurer 
of the Church was reluctantly accepted, with sincere 
appreciation of his twenty-six years of faithful ser- 
vice, and of the uniform kindness and courtesy which 
had endeared him to all. Mr. Otto C. Graf was 
elected his successor, to assume charge August 1. 

October 18 and 19, the Pennsylvania State Luther 
League held its convention in the church. 

Wednesday, December 7, 1904, the congregation, 
the community, and the Church at large, were shocked 
to learn of the terribly sudden prostration of Dr. 
Geissinger by a form of paralysis. Beloved by his 
people, most highly esteemed throughout the Church, 
thousands hoped and waited with anxious sympathy 
for tidings of improvement. But it was the beginning 
of a long struggle of many months with disease, 
and never was nobler courage, greater faith, brighter 
cheer, or more loving consideration for others than 
that which transfigured his affliction. 

[167] 



fim cBngltjS]^ Lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

At the congregational meeting held January 2, 1905, 
the following letter, dictated by the pastor from his 
sick bed, was read: 

' ' Dear Brethren : — I had hoped to be able to prepare my 
usual report for presentation at the congregational meeting, 
but I have been dissuaded from attempting to do so. Under 
the circumstances, I must therefore content myself with 
sending to you my most affectionate pastoral greeting with 
the earnest prayer that your deliberations may be directed 
by the Holy Spirit and may have single respect to the glory 
of the Master and to the extension and strengthening of 
His Kingdom. 

" Perhaps my chief concern in my present affliction is 
for the continued welfare of the congregation and of all our 
people. But I am fully persuaded that everything possible 
in this emergency will be done by you to make up, and 
even more than make up, for my enforced and, I trust, tem- 
porary absence. 

" Be assured of my presence in spirit and of my earnest 
wish for the prosperity of the congregation and for the high- 
est welfare of each one of you. 

"May the New Year bring to each of you richer and 
sweeter blessings than have ever come to you before. 
" Very sincerely and affectionately, 
" Your Pastor, 

" David H. Geissinger, 

" per E. J. L." 

Messrs. Thomas H. Lane and Henry Balken were 
appointed to reply to Dr. Geissinger 's communica- 
tion, and to express the deep sympathy of the con- 
gregation and its earnest hope and prayer for speedy 
recovery. 

A special congregational meeting was held March 1 
to consider the nomination by the Council of the 

[168] 



pmotatt of ti^e Mt\). ®abiD 1^. dBieis^^mger 

Rev. George J. Gongaware, of Warren, Pa., as 
associate pastor. Mr. Gongaware was unanimously 
elected by ballot and a formal call was extended to 
him, signed, according to the requirements of the con- 
stitution, by the Rev. D. H. Geissinger, pastor and 
president; Thos. H. Lane, acting president, and 
Henry Balken, secretary Church Council. 

This call was duly accepted in a letter of April 10, 
1905, and Mr. Gongaware entered upon his work as 
associate pastor. May 11, 1905. 

The Rev. Dr. J. A. Kunkleman regularly supplied 
the pulpit for some months, until Mr. Gongaware 's 
arrival, and the Council later recorded its apprecia- 
tion of "his timely and most acceptable services.'* 

Miss Sarah Shaffer, the oldest member of the con- 
gregation, one of the first teachers in the Sunday 
School and actively and generously interested in 
every good work, was called to her eternal home 
March 3, 1905. 

March 6 a legacy of $300 was received from the 
estate of Miss Maria Forsythe, and transferred to 
the Indigent Fund. 

The Easter offering of the congregation was 
$732.03, and the offering of the Sunday School, 
$349.10. The treasurer was instructed to pay $200 
to the General Council Church Extension Fund, 
$500 to the General Council Home Mission Fund, 
$32.03 to the Porto Rico Mission Board, and the 
entire amount of the Sunday School's contribution 
to the Pittsburgh S^mod for Home Missions. 

The youngest society in the congregation, the 
Chapel Guild, was organized by the young ladies of 
Mr. Samuel L. Hamilton's Sunday School class 

[169] 



ifim €nq\i^]^ Unt^ttan €^nu]^ 

Ai3ril 26, 1905, for the purpose of caring for the chapel 
vestments and decorations and assisting mission con- 
gregations in securing furnishings and supplies. Its 
work has been done with very commendable faith- 
fulness. 

The advisability of organizing a Sunday School in 
Shadyside as a branch of the main school had been 
given earnest attention for years. At the June and 
July meetings of the Council, Messrs. Charles W. 
Fuhr and Horace W. Bikle presented statements, 
urging its importance and announcing that the rent 
and other expenses had been guaranteed for a term 
of three years by a member of the congregation. 
After earnest consideration the Council approved the 
plan and the school was organized Sunday, October 1, 
1905, in the Alinda School at Fifth Avenue and 
Clyde Street, addresses being made by Dr. Geissinger, 
Mr. Thomas H. Lane, Mr. J. Harvey Wattles, and 
the Rev. George J. Gongaware. Mr. Horace W. 
Bikle has been the efficient superintendent from the 
beginning. 

December 3, the first Sunday in Advent, the Rev. 
Mr. Gongaware was installed as associate pastor. 
The Rev. Luther D. Reed preached the sermon and 
Dr. Geissinger spoke the words of installation. 

Miss Louisa Sellers, Mrs. Mary B. Sellers, and 
Mrs. Hannah A. Seaman, the latter for many years 
the efficient president of the Ladies' Society, were 
all called to their eternal reward during the year 
1905. 

Dr. Geissinger was present and presided at the 
congregational meeting January 1, 1906. He pre- 
sented his annual report, and stated that his progress 
[170] 



pamtatt of ti^e Eet. J^abiD f ♦ (Btiminq^tt 

towards recovery Imd been slow, and that if the near 
future did not give assurance of more active useful- 
ness, he would very reluctantly be constrained to 
relinquish the active ministry. 

Wednesday, January 17, a notable service was held 
in the church in commemoration of the two-hund- 
dredth anniversary of the sailing of Ziegenbalg and 
Pluetschau, the first Lutheran foreign missionaries, 
from Copenhagen, Denmark, for Tranquebar on the 
coast of Hindustan, where they arrived July 9, 1706, 
These missionaries sailed November 29, 1705, but the 
observance of the anniversary was purposely deferred 
to the Foreign Mission season of the Church Year. 
Addresses were delivered by the Rev. J. Fry, D.D., 
of Philadelphia, and the Rev. Luther Kuhlman, D.D., 
of Gettysburg. The occasion was made the more 
notable by the presence in large numbers of 
Lutherans of various Synodical affiliations. 

February 5, the following communication was re- 
ceived by the Council : 

" Dear Brethren: 

" After long and careful consideration, I herewith tender 
my resignation as pastor. I am persuaded that, under the 
circumstances, my withdrawal from the active work of the 
pastorate is a duty that I owe to myself and to the congre- 
gation and that it wiU be for the best interests of both. 

" 1 respectfully beg you to take action in this matter as 
soon as may be agreeable to your discretion. I shall ever 
cherish as a most precious possession the delightful remem- 
brance of our association as pastor and people. I especially 
wish to thank you, one and all, for your considerate and 
generous treatment of me in my affliction. For many, many 
years to come, may the Council and the congregation of 
[171] 



fiv^t €n0^^ Lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

the First Church enjoy that peace, harmony and prosperity 
which have marked the years that are past. 
" Yours in the Christian faith, 

" D. H. Geissinger." 

The communication was received and laid over 
for future consideration. 

March 5, the resignation was accepted with the 
greatest regret, to take effect April 1, 1906, from 
which date Dr. Geissinger was unanimously elected 
pastor emeritus. The Rev. George J. Gongaware 
was declared pastor of the congregation to date from 
April 1, 1906. The correspondence concerning the 
action is as follows: 

" Pittsburgh, Pa., March 7, 1906. 
" Rev. D. II. Geissinger, D.D., 

" Pittsburgh, Pa. 
' ' Dear Dr. Geissinger : 

" Your communication under date of February fifth, con- 
veying to the Church Council your resignation as pastor of 
the congregation, was submitted at the regular meeting in 
February. It was then deemed wise to defer its consideration 
to a future date. At the meeting of that body held March 
5, it was given the careful and respectful consideration 
that its importance demanded. Realizing the grave require- 
ment of relief from the anxiety and sense of responsibility 
inseparable from the occupancy of your position as pastor, 
and impressed with the conviction that your recovery of 
normal health is retarded by such conditions, with great 
reluctance the Church Council, on motion, accepted your 
proffered resignation, the same to take effect from April 
first proximo. Deprecating any severance of our hallowed 
fellowship, it was resolved by our body to request that you 
accept the relation of pastor emeritus and the annual appro- 
priation of six hundred dollars connected therewith. 
[172] 



pamtatz of ti^e Eet3» ©abiD i^* (0etej5mger 

' ' The deep-seated affection felt for you personally, and the 
profound admiration entertained for your pulpit and pas- 
toral ministrations, are so manifest to you, that a certifica- 
tion in words would diminish rather than emphasize their 
existence. 

'' With assurance of our affectionate regard and our 
prayers for your highest good, we remain, as ever, 
" Yours truly, 

" Thomas H. Lane, 
'' Acting Chairman Church Council. 
" Henry Balken, 
'" Secretary." 

" J\Ir. Thomas H. Lane, Acting Chairman, 
" Mr. Henry Balken, Secretary, 
' ' Dear Brethren : 

" I have your valued communication informing me of the 
action of the Council on Monday evening, March fifth. I 
beg to assure you, and the congregation through you, that 
I not only heartily acquiesce in this action, but that it meets 
with the full approval of both my judgment and feeling. I 
certainly appreciate the high honor the Council has con- 
ferred in asking me to accept the office of pastor emeritus. 
This will relieve me from active duties and burdensome 
responsibilities, and at the same time enable me to feel that 
I still occupy an important official relation to the congre- 
gation. I hereby cheerfully and gratefully accept this hon- 
orable relation, and hope that I may in time regain sufficient 
health and strength to be, in some measure at least, actively 
useful in the service of the Master. 

" "While I am gratified to know that it was the generous 
impulse and earnest wish of many that a much larger appro- 
priation should be made for me, it was my own desire that 
the financial consideration should be merely nominal. You 
have dealt with me very generously during all the years of 
my pastorate and especially during the protracted period 
[173] 



fiv^t €n%li^]^ Lutl^cran Ci^urc]^ 

of my illness. Indeed you have done so much for me that 
I should not feel quite comfortable to accept more, especially 
in view of the fact that in the future larger demands will be 
made upon the members in order to maintain effectively the 
increasing work of the congregation. To allay any dis- 
turbing solicitude in regard to the welfare of myself and 
family I may be permitted to say that we shall have a suffi- 
cient competence to relieve us from anxiety in regard to 
material necessities. 

'* I do most cordially reciprocate your kind expressions 
of affectionate esteem. May the blessing of Him whose we 
are, and Whom we serve, be with you always. 
" Your brother, 

" David H. Geissinger." 



" Pittsburgh, Pa., March 6, 1906. 
** Rev. George J. Gongaware, Associate Pastor, 
" First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, 
" Pittsburgh, Pa. 
" Dear Sir: 

" At the monthly meeting of the Church Council last 
evening, Dr. Geissinger 's resignation as pastor was very 
reluctantly and with great regret accepted, and he was unan- 
imously elected pastor emeritus, both of these changes to 
take effect April first, 1906. 

" At the same time, you were declared pastor of the con- 
gregation, beginning with the first of April, 1906. 
" Very respectfully, 

" Thomas H. Lane, 
" Henry Balken, "Acting Chairman. 

" Secretary." 



' ' Dear Brethren and Friends : 

" The action of the Church Council taken at the meeting 
on Monday, ]\Iarch fifth, has impressed me anew with the 
[174] 



^amvatt of ti^e met, ?e^al)iti f . (Btimmtt 

serious responsibility resting upon those who are called to 
the office of the ministry. This impression is deepened by a 
full realization of the importance of this parish. "When I 
review the illustrious history of this congregation, when I 
recall the capable, godly men who have ministered to you 
in holy things and led you to your present exalted position 
in the Church at large, I shrink from the duties to which 
you have called me ; but when I note your faithful kindness, 
when I am reminded of the zeal, devotion and loyalty which 
have constantly characterized your church life, when I fully 
believe the promise of the great Head of the Church, " My 
grace is sufficient," I am encouraged to accept the office of 
pastor, fully appreciating the great honor of this position 
and willingly assuming the responsibilities of this place of 
trust and opportunity. 

" For the glory of God, and for the extension of Christ's 
kingdom, I now undertake this work, in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
" Faithfully yours, 

" George J. Gongaware." 

Dr. Geissinger was released from suffering Friday 
evening, March 22, 1907. Although anticipated, the 
announcement of his death came as a shock to the 
congregation. The funeral services were held in the 
church Monday afternoon, March 25. The audito- 
rium was filled with mourners, many of whom were 
personal friends not connected with the congregation. 
He was laid to rest on a beautiful hillside in Alle- 
gheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, as the sun was declin- 
ing, its warm beams and the evidences of approaching 
spring giving their comfort to the sorrowing and add- 
ing their assurance to the promises of the Gospel 
concerning the resurrection of the body. 

A service in memoriam was held on Sunday mom- 

[175] 



fim tngligl) JLuti^eran Ci^utci^ 

ing, April 7, the pastor and members of St. John's 
Church uniting with the congregation in this last pub- 
lic tribute to a beloved pastor and personal friend. 
The Eev. Mr. Gongaware preached the sermon. The 
printed order of service contained an extended notice 
of his life and character, and warm expressions of 
the respect and affection in which he was held by 
his people, which had been prepared by a committee 
of the Council. 

Born near Grafton, Huntington County, Pa., Feb- 
ruary 12, 1844, Dr. Geissinger attended school for a 
short time in his native township, and, when but a 
boy, enlisted in 1861 in the Fifth Reserves, Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers. He was the youngest member 
of that regiment, and his i^romotion and the regi- 
ment's splendid record throughout the war testified 
to his bravery and capacity. After three years he 
re-enlisted as second lieutenant and remained in the 
service to the close of the war. He was wounded in 
the battle of Fort Steadman. When the war closed 
he was serving as an officer on the staff of General 
Hartranft. During the famous Surratt trial after 
the death of President Lincoln he had charge of the 
prisoners. 

After his preparatory studies at Mercersburg and at 
Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa., he studied theology 
from 1869 to 1872 at Philadelphia, and was ordained 
in Zion's Church, Philadephia, in June, 1872. From 
1872 to 1874, he was assistant pastor of ''Old Trinity" 
Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Pa., and served two 
mission congregations. In 1874, he became the or- 
ganizing pastor of Grace Church, one of the Lancaster 
missions, and remained there five years. In 1880, he 

[17G] 



WM&'r^M^ -^mm^ 



m 



THE Rev. DAVTD HARRISON GEISSINGER, D.D. 



f ir0t €nglij8]^ ilutl^ctan 

ui'j:, April 7, the pastor aiid members of 
Church uniting with the congregation in this last pui 
lie tribute to p i i > --i .. ,-f-..- o^d personal frieru. 
The Rev. Mr. ' ed the sermon. Tiu 

■ 1 notice 

ons of 

I .•• was held by 

'jV :i rnf>ivniff0P 



rn., r eo- 

■hool for a 

hen but a 

' ves, Penn- 

i ingest member 

nd the regi- 

tr testified 

<nirs he 

in the 













alter 
of the 












Airgandat 


J\ 






<iU 


.HAny.ikkiao viohishia 


afVAQ :.^i*editheolof?y 


f. 










' i was ordaint'l 


[]■ 










\ 1872. From 


1^1- 


U; J> 


< 1 ! 






•'OidTi: ■ ■ 


LTlt» 


vrnn 


< 






■d serve: 


It 










became \' 


g^ 


'-^'r^ 1 








'■ the L^i 


missions, 


and 


re 




s. Ini^ 



pamtatt of t})t Eeti* ?^aiiiD i^» (BeijS^inger 

took charge of a mission of Holy Trinity Lutheran 
Church, New York, located on Eighty- second Street. 
In 1885, he accepted a call to St. John's Church, 
Easton, Pa., which he served eight years. In the 
spring of 1893, he became pastor of the First Church, 
Pittsburgh, and shortly after the degree of Doctor 
of Divinity was conferred upon him by Lafayette Col- 
lege, Easton, Pa. His last public service was per- 
formed in the chapel of the First Church on the 
evening of September 19, 1906, when he commissioned 
Miss Mellander, a missionary, to Porto Rico. 

Besides the heavy responsibilities of his parish, he 
was for several years the president of the Pittsburgh 
Synod, the president of the Porto Rico Mission Board, 
and for many years a staff correspondent of The 
Lutheran, an able contributor to our Sunday School 
literature, and an efficient member of many important 
Synodical and Ceneral Council boards and commit- 
tees. The following tribute from the pen of the Rev. 
Dr. G. W. Sandt, in The Lutheran of March 28, 1907, 
fittingly expresses the Church's appreciation of his 
character and worth : 

" Although the announcement of his death was not unex- 
pected, it came with deep and overwhelming sorrow to his 
congregation, which was bound to him by the strongest ties 
of affection, as also to his ministerial brethren and numerous 
friends throughout the Pittsburgh Synod and the General 
Council. The paralytic stroke, which prostrated him two 
years ago, had slowly robbed him of his vitality, and the 
hope of many of his friends that he might still prove useful 
to the Church has been dissipated. If the disabling of so 
serviceable a man will tend to teach the larger Synods the 
lesson, that no conscientious pastor should be expected to 
serve a parish while he attempts to discharge the multi- 
12 [17?] 



fim €nq\i^]) Lutl^eran €\)mc\) 

farious duties that devolve upon the Synod's chief officer, 
his untimely death will not have been in vain. 

' ' The deceased was widely recognized as a clear thinker, a 
forceful speaker and preacher, a conservative and competent 
leader, a well-poised, cultured Christian gentleman, and a 
devoted and faithful pastor. His sermons often bore the 
impress of the metaphysician, but were replete with redemp- 
tive thought. All his preaching was strongly positive and 
Christo-centric. It revolved around Jesus Christ as the 
great Orb of religious truth. He was the beginning, middle 
and end of the Gospel he proclaimed. So strongly was this a 
characteristic of his preaching that it was with difficulty he 
descended to the level of the practical in his applications of 
divine truth. One of his brethren who delighted to hear 
him tells us of instances when he was deeply moved, as in 
his preaching he rose to a profound appreciation of the 
divinity of Christ. 

" He also wielded a ready and forceful pen. He wrote 
far too little. His language was choice and his diction fault- 
less. His thoughts were clear as crystal, and his vision broad 
and sympathetic. He never appeared to better advantage 
than when he took up his pen, though absorption in pastoral 
and other duties made it difficult for him to give much atten- 
tion to literary work. What he wrote for The Lutheran, 
whose staff correspondent he was, was generally written 
under considerable pressure. His service on boards and com- 
mittees, whether in Synod or Council, is well known and 
needs no further mention. 

' ' But what endeared him most to his large host of friends, 
clerical and lay, within and without the General Council, 
was his character as a gentleman and a Christian. He was 
an exceptionally strong representative of the buoyant, hope- 
ful, sunshiny characteristics of the Christian life. There 
was a childlike naturalness and a manly strength in the 
quality of his Christianit3^ It was not borrowed from the 
convent, but sprang into beauty and fragrance as a rose 
[178] 



laa^torate of ti^e Mt\). ©atiD i^» (^etjSjsmger 

bush in a flower garden. He was happy as a lark in the 
sunshine of a cloudless sky. To be near him was to catch the 
radiance of his cheerful spirit. He was the possessor of a 
high order of wit — a kind of wit that never descended to 
regions base and vulgar. He saw enough of humanity in the 
garb of its native simplicity and beauty to make it unneces- 
sary for him to exercise his wit and humor on what was 
deformed and coarse in human nature. Not that he was not 
fully aware of the dark side of life, for at times he labored 
under a depressed sense of the wickedness of the world and 
of human imperfection, even at its best ; but the dominating 
note in his character was hope, and while he was a child of 
grace, he was also, in the best sense of the term, a child of 
nature. 

" To this happy, hopeful temperament must also be added 
breadth of human sympathy. While strong and immovable 
in what he believed to be the purest faith on earth, he yet 
carried with him a fine and safe catholicity of spirit. This 
won for him a host of friends outside of the Lutheran 
Church. He mingled with them, but never at the expense 
of the faith that was dear to him. That he kept clear of 
entangling alliances, whereby the principles of his Church 
would be compromised, was due less to his native diplomacy 
than to his frankness and tact. He possessed the happy 
faculty of impressing men of other religious persuasions 
with the strength and beauty of our Church's evangelical 
position. His polemics was irenic. It revealed the heart 
more than the bristles. But when the occasion called for it, 
he could rise to it and wield the sword of satire and logic 
with telling effect. 

'' The Church mourns him because in these trying times 
it needs men of sunshine, men of breadth, men of sound faith 
and healthful catholicity. To the writer of this feeble 
tribute, another star has set. It has set, but it shines with 
increasing brilliancy in the brighter light of its resurrection 
glory." 

[179] 



CHAPTER XII 

pamvatt of ti^e Mt\). (Btot^t % d^ongatoare 



1906- 




OME few items since the Rev. 
Mr. Gongaware assumed full 
charge of the congregation, 
April 1, 1906, call for particu- 
lar mention. 

Sunday, May 27, an offering 
of $463.20 for the sufferers by 
earthquake and fire in San Francisco was taken. 

An attractive brass missal stand for the altar and 
handsomely bound volumes of the Church Book were 
provided by Mr. Weyman. 

Messrs. J. Harvey and Charles W. Wattles pre- 
sented the Church with a beautiful private commu- 
nion set, inscribed to the memory of their mother, 
Mrs. Julia Wattles, and their sister, Mrs. Annie 
Wattles Horner. 

To assist in making up the loss sustained by our 
India missions on account of a bank failure, an offer- 
ing amounting to $931.37 was forwarded to the Board 
of Foreign Missions. 

July 2, 1906, Mr. Otto C. Graf's resignation as 
Church treasurer was accepted, with expressions of 
appreciation of his painstaking and faithful service. 
Mr. Christian F. Schaefer was elected treasurer and 
on January 7, 1907, he was also elected a deaco'n in 
the Church Council. 

[180] 



^^a^torate of ti^e Mt^. (Btotq^t % (^ongatware 

October 2, the first meeting of tile General Council 
Inner Mission Committee was held in the church. 
A public meeting was held in the evening in the in- 
terests of the Inner Mission work in Pittsburgh. 
The Eev. C. Armand Miller, D.D., of New York City, 
delivered the address. This and other preliminary 
meetings held in the chapel resulted in the organiza- 
tion of the Lutheran Inner Mission Society of Pitts- 
burgh, April 18, 1907, with one hundred and sixty 
members. This society now numbers 344 members 
and has established and maintains the Hospice, 248 
Amber Street, E. E., with the Eev. Dr. Alexander 
J. D. Haupt, superintendent. The Society's first 
annual meeting was held in the chapel, Thursday, 
April 30, 1908. 

December 3, 1906, the Council appointed a com- 
mittee, consisting of the Rev. Mr. Gongaware and 
Messrs. Lane, Weyman, and Balken, to arrange for 
special services in commemoration of the approach- 
ing seventieth anniversary of the founding of the 
congregation. February 4, the committee reported 
that the pastor had taken special notice of the event 
in his sermon of January 20, and that the committee 
had decided to recommend the publication of a con- 
gregational history. The committee's further and 
final report is this present volume. 

March 4,1907, St. John's Church having become self- 
sustaining, action was taken to have them assume the 
$4,000 mortgage resting upon their church property, 
and the congregation authorized the conveyance of 
the title to St. John's Church upon the surrender of 
the bond which accompanied the mortgage. Both 
congregations are to be congratulated upon this 

[181] 



mm CngUjS]^ lutl^eran Cl^urc]^ 

happy consummation. The transfer was completed 
June 29. 

The following items are of interest as indicating 
the rapid changes and developments in the neighbor- 
hood of the present church building. In April, 1907, 
Mr. J. Harvey Wattles was appointed to represent the 
congregation and to accompany a delegation to Har- 
risburg to protest against the issuing of a charter for 
a contemplated elevated road whose proposed route 
would pass near the church. June 3, the Common- 
wealth Real Estate Co. was given an option on the 
church property for thirty days, subject to the ai> 
proval of the congregation, at $4,000 a foot front on 
Grant Street, with certain reservations. 

The Easter offering for 1907 amounted to $1,285.07. 

The congregation has sustained a particularly close 
relation to the Porto Rico Mission work of the Gen- 
eral Council from the beginning of work in that field. 
For years Dr. Geissinger was the president and Mr. 
Thomas H. Lane the treasurer of the Board, the latter 
being succeeded by Mr. Charles W. Fulir. Messrs. W. 
Warren Wattles, William Steinmeyer, and J. S. Sea- 
man also represent the congregation on the Board 
at present. Mention has already been made of the 
fact that Dr. Geissinger 's last public service was per- 
formed in commissioning Miss May C. Mellander as 
missionary to Porto Rico in the chapel, September 19, 

1906. April 3, 1905, the Rev. and Mrs. Alfred Ostrom 
received their commissions as missionaries to this 
field at a service conducted in the chapel by the 
Rev. Dr. Belfour, who, at a similar service, April 10, 

1907, also commissioned the Rev. A. P. G. Anderson 
missionary to that island. 

[182] 



pastorate of ti^e Eeb. (George % (Bon^a'vDau 

May 6, 1907, the charter of the Church Music and 
Liturgical Art Society was signed in Pittsburgh, and 
this organization was later incorporated by the 
Philadelphia courts "to promote interest in and 
knowledge of Church Music, Liturgies, and the Arts 
employed in Divine Worship by the printing and pub- 
lishing of music, literature, etc." The Board of 
Directors of the Society are the Rev. Luther D. Reed, 
president; the Rev. George J. Gongaware, secretary- 
treasurer; and Mr. Harry G. Archer. 

The congregation has witnessed a most unusual 
series of deaths in very recent years. Men and 
women most faithfully devoted to the interests of 
the Church at home and abroad have been called 
from the scene of their earthly labors to their 
eternal reward. Among those who passed away dur- 
ing the present pastorate, and who at some time had 
held official position in the Church, were Mr. William 
B. Wolfe, who died April 4, 1906, Mr. John A. 
Kaercher, whose death occurred January 31, 1907, 
at the advanced age of eighty-two years, and Mr. 
William Siebert, who died August 18, 1908, at the 
remarkable age of eighty-six. Their prompt and 
willing service as members of the Church Council is 
gratefully remembered. 

December 31, 1907, marked the close of the remark- 
able life of Mr. Thomas H. Lane. Born at Chambers- 
burg, Pa., August 21, 1828, the third child of Dr. 
W. B. Lane and Eliza Hetich Lane, he was in his 
eightieth year at the time of his death. His early 
childhood was spent in Chambersburg, At the age of 
nine he visited relatives in Pittsburgh. While here 
he heard the announcement that on the following Sun- 

[183] 



firist cBnglijs]^ Luti^eran Ci^urci^ 

day a meeting would be held to consider the advisa- 
bility of organizing an English Lutheran Sunday 
School and congregation. Four years later he made 
Pittsburgh his permanent home. The year follow- 
ing he was confirmed in the First Church by the 
pastor, the Rev. W. H. Smith, and from that day to 
the hour of his triumphant death his heart's affection 
was centred here, and his prayers and labors for 
her prosperity were unceasing. 

The congregation, the Pittsburgh Synod, and the 
General Council, of which he was one of the organ- 
izers, mourn his death. Modest in manner, conser- 
vative in judgment, wise in counsel, he was a tower 
of strength in every relation of life into which he 
entered. In him were harmoniously blended the 
strongest elements of character of his paternal an- 
cestors, who came from Holland to America, with the 
like traits of the German progenitors of his mother. 
Well-poised, courageous, noble, just, without guile, — 
these splendid virtues were the natural fruits of a 
most remarkably clear apprehension of the Divine 
Word and of a truly vital faith in Jesus as his 
Saviour. 

The home life of Mr. Lane was beautiful in its 
quiet retirement. At his genial fireside his pastors 
and his chosen friends always found a safe coun- 
sellor and a sympathizing brother. In his large and 
carefully chosen library were gathered the writings 
of the great and wise and good. His house was his 
refreshing grove, his library was his perennial foun- 
tain, and his Bible his constant inspiration. 

His business career was most extraordinary. A 
year before his death he retired, after sixty-five years 
of remarkable fidelity to the duties of the station to 

[184] 



Mr. THOMAS HETICH LANE 



fir^t engl(0]^ tnt^ttan €\]x\v 



day a meeting wow]'] 'w IkuI fo consid^. 



bility of organ i: 

KSchooi and '^ 

I'ittsburgli i 
iiii. 

the iiou ! 
was I'f'- 
her 

Or 



Lutheran Suii v 

ars later he n, , 

The year fo'i ,v 

i lurch by tlie 

tliat day to 

affection 



-ad liie 
e organ- 
manner, conser- 



ii>e 
•''I- 



i/./..i iioiTiJii a/. 



Ol i: 

ref r< 
tain, and 

His bui 

year before hi 
of remarkabi' 



i in its 

})astors 

lie coun- 

■- ^ and 

:!t|,u;s 

was his 

■ ] fiAin- 

y five years 
ihe station to 



^ajstorate of ti^e Beb* mot^t % (Bongatoare 

which God had called him. He was highly honored 
by his associates and his integrity and justness were 
never questioned. 

The object of his most ardent affection and earnest 
endeavors was the Church. His connection with the 
Sunday School almost paralleled its history. He was 
a pupil from 1840-1844; librarian, 1844r-1845, secre- 
tary, 1845-1848; a teacher, 1848-1857; assistant 
superintendent, 1857-1866; and superintendent, 
1866-1902. He was a member of the Council for 
fifty-seven years. He has left to his home congrega- 
tion and to the Church at large a priceless legacy of 
churchly decorum and of long-continued, unselfish, 
consecrated service to the Master. 

His very last service was a labor of love for the 
First Church in the preparation of material for this 
published history of the congregation. Among his 
very last words was this remarkable testimony: ''In 
the forty years since the organization of the General 
Council I have seen no occasion for her to retract 
any point of doctrine or practice then affirmed." 

He was sincerely devoted to the work of the Porto 
Eico Mission from its very beginning, and served as 
treasurer of its Board until compelled by serious 
sickness to relinquish that labor. 

The Christian religion was vital to him. In his 
final illness and on his death-bed, he experienced its 
sustaining power. His walk, his words, and his works 
are a splendid testimony to its saving merits. He 
was buried in Chambersburg, the place of his birth, 
January 3, 1907. In addition to the pastor, Mr. 
William H. Black, Mr. J. Harvey Wattles, and Col. 
James Sheafer were appointed by the Council to 
accompany the body to Chambersburg. Col. Sheafer, 

[185] 



ifim €nq,li^\^ lutl^eran Ci^urc)^ 

however, was prevented by illness from making the 
journey. Mr. Samuel L. Hamilton and Mr. George 
Watson of the congregation also accompanied the 
body. 

Early in the year 1908 Miss Myrtle Barry placed a 
handsome Bible on the lectern in memory of her 
brother, Bliss Barry, a most esteemed member of the 
congregation, whose death occurred April 23, 1906. 

The pastor reported to the Council the need of 
medical assistance by some members of the congrega- 
tion, and that the free services of Dr. L. W. Smith, 
also a member of the congregation, were available. 
The offer was gratefully accepted and the treasurer 
of the Indigent Fund was authorized to pay for any 
necessary medicines. 

The Easter offering amounted to $1,266.14, the 
morning service realizing $779.53 and the service of 
the combined Sunday Schools in the afternoon, 
$486.61. The offering was distributed as follows: 
City Mission and Church Extension Society of Pitts- 
burgh, Allegheny, and Vicinity, $48.66; General 
Council Slavonic Mission, $100; General Council 
Home Missions, $305.82; General Council Church 
Extension, $405.83; Pittsburgh Synod Home Mis- 
sions, $405.83. Total, $1,266.14. 

Another death in the official circle of the con- 
gregation during the present pastorate was that of 
Col. James A. Sheafer, June 21, 1908. From the 
notice of his life which appeared in The Lutheran of 
July 2, we give the following: 

" Born at Carlisle, Pa., Nov. 8, 1834, of devoted CJiristian 
parents, his environment from youth was that of simple 
piety, high moral ideals and sincere Christian faith. Bap- 
[186] 



pamvatt of tl^e Mt\). (George 3!* (0ongatoare 

tized in infancy, confirmed in early youth by the Rev. Dr. 
Morris in the city of Baltimore, he made Pittsburgh his 
home as a young man and continued to live here until the 
voice of God called him to his eternal rest. In the First 
Church, where he was greatly beloved and honored, and 
where he served for many years as an officer, being an elder 
at the time of his death, his loss is most keenly felt. Words 
are inadequate to express the deep impression made by the 
suddenness of his departure. 

" In the Church at large his wise counsels and efficient 
service will be greatly missed. He faithfully served the 
Pittsburgh Synod as treasurer and as a member of the Board 
of the Old People's Home. He was a member of the Gen- 
eral Council's Boards of Porto Rico Missions and Church 
Extension. A man of strong character, deep religious con- 
viction, and noble generosity, he brought to every duty of 
life a spirit zealous for all good works. 

" His military career was noteworthy. He enlisted at the 
first call of President Lincoln for troops, rose rapidly to the 
rank of Colonel, and, as an officer, was noted for faithfulness, 
self-possession, gentleness in exercising authority, and effi- 
ciency on the field of battle. He participated in the siege of 
Yorktown and in the battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, 
Richmond, Malvern Hill, and Kingston. He was taken pris- 
oner at Plymouth, N. C, in April of 1864 by the Confederate 
General Hood and was imprisoned successively at Savannah, 
Macon, and Charleston. After being released, he re-organized 
his regiment and at the close of the war participated with 
his entire command in the triumphal procession in the city 
of Washington. In November, 1861, before leaving for 
the front, the Sunday School of the First Lutheran Church, 
in which he was a teacher, in a public service presented him 
with a sword bearing the inscription ' Be thou faithful unto 
death.' The loss of this sword when made a prisoner of 
war was a great grief to him. The virtue to which he was 
exhorted by that inscription was one of the most prominent 
of the many which adorned his life. 
[187] 



ftrjst (0ngli^]^ luti^eran Ci^urci^ 

" Hi.s earnestness and devotion and his loving and cour- 
teous disposition bound him with ties of strong affection and 
regard to all who were associated with him. He was a 
humble Christian gentleman, a great-hearted friend, a wise 
counsellor, a man who lived in the fear of God. For his 
noble and faithful stewardship, for his courageous convic- 
tions of duty, and for his loving devotion to the Church and 
his willing service of the Master we are devoutly thankful." 

The resolutions adopted by the Council read as 
follows : 

" IN LOVING MEMORY OF COL. JAMES SHEAFER. 

" The members of the Council of the First Lutheran 
Church in Pittsburgh desire to express their sense of loss, 
and their sincere regret at the death of Col. James Sheafer, 
an elder in this body; and to record their deep sense of the 
affectionate esteem in which he was held by all the members 
of our congregation. 

" He is to be held in grateful remembrance also for his 
devout and reverent care of the sacramental vessels of the 
sanctuary. Here his service was marked by most praise- 
worthy dignit}^ and churchly taste. The memory of so just 
a man is indeed blessed, and it shall remain with us as a 
precious heritage. We shall greatly miss his commanding 
and dignified presence, his heartsome words and the sweet 
influence of his Christian fellowship. We share the grief 
and loss of companionship which his death has occasioned 
to his family, and to them we hereby convey our most cordial 
sympathy, praying that grace sufficient may be ministered 
unto them by the Father of all Mercy, who hath called their 
beloved to his eternal reward. 

' ' One of the oldest, most conservative and staunch of our 

members, he valiantly defended the Church in the days when 

her doctrine and sacraments were strongly assailed, and in 

the days of her peace and prosperity none was more truly 

[188] 



pamtatt of ti^e Mt'b. c0eorge % (0ongatpat:e 

grateful than he. Wise in his counsels, generous in his 
offerings, he served the Master 's cause as a faithful steward. ' ' 

During the summer of 1908 Miss Mary A. Fuller 
and Mr. William Siebert, members of the congrega- 
tion, also entered into rest. In recognition of ''the 
long life and beautiful old age" of Mr. Siebert, 
who died August 18, the Council adopted a memorial 
of which the following is a part : 

" The Church has suffered a great loss in the death of 
Mr. Siebert, our oldest member. He had been closely iden- 
tified, as a member, with the interests of the Church during 
the whole of his mature life and performed efficient service 
as a member of the Church Council until his hearing failed 
him. He brought to this high office careful judgment and 
a gracious kindness. His loving nature and spirited example 
shed abroad a wholesome and inspiring influence. He 
greatly encouraged every good and helpful work in the 
Church and in the municipality, and through the pain and 
failing strength of a long illness, was sustained by a child- 
like faith in the Lord of mercy, whose cross he bore so 
meekly, so faithfully, so bravely." 

December 12, Mr. Jonathan P. Smith, another aged 
and highly esteemed member of the congregation, 
entered into rest. 

Testifying to the affectionate esteem in which Dr. 
Geissinger was held, the two Sunday Schools, Grant 
Street and Shadyside, have erected a beautiful Good 
Shepherd memorial window in art glass in Emanuel 
Church, Bellevue. 

The custom of making an offering at the public 
service on Christmas Day was introduced this year, 
the response being very generous in behalf of the 
Indigent Fund. 

[189] 



firist (Bnq,li&^ Lutl^eran Cl^urcl^ 

Some features of the parish work as determined by 
present conditions received particular mention in the 
pastor's annual report to the congregation January 
4, 1909. Especial reference was made to the ever- 
increasing difficulties in pastoral work owing to the 
development of large business industries in the neigh- 
borhood of the church and the consequent removal 
of the families to the residence suburbs. This move- 
ment has developed to such an extent that the actual 
parish boundaries are to-day not less than forty by 
forty miles, and it is unquestionably true that if all 
the families who live nearer- to other General Council 
churches than they do to the First Church were to 
unite with those churches the First Church would 
have fewer than a dozen families left. The report 
continues : 

" We need to recall the fact, and meditate upon it long 
enough to realize its physical significance, that in addition 
to our membership located in almost every part of the older 
city and on the North Side, we have faithful parishioners 
living at Ingram, Mt. Washington, Hazel wood, Glenwood, 
Irwin, Grafton, Carrick, Wilkinsburg, Duquesne Heights, 
Hulton, Oakmont, Bellevue, Edgewood, West View, Knox- 
ville, Sewickley, Avalon, Tarentum, Duquesne, McKeesport, 
Gibsonia, Brownsville, Aspinwall, Swissvale, Beechview, 
West Liberty, Rosslyn Station, Brushton, Belmar, Wood- 
lawn, Confluence and Indiana. In addition to these there 
are earnest souls at greater distances from the church who 
desire and receive the ministrations of our pastoral office; 
at the same time we endeavor not to forget our young people 
who are attending schools away from home. 

" The utmost that can be done in regular pastoral work is 
to visit the sick, the aged and prospective members. Much 
[190] 




THE Rev. GEORGE J. GONGAWARE 



^- e^ of the pnv\^], work 

(/it L'oudi: 

' '>^ annu.., . , 

a January 

^■^«P^«^' theever- 

^^®c«^^ i work owing to the 

-nt of lai ; —dustries in the neirb 

buinood of the church and the consequent remo^ 
ot the famihes to the residence suburbs. This move- 
mom has developed to snob an f^xieni thai the actual 



arer to other General Conn 

T'irst Church were to 
■'''>.^t Thurch would 
Vhfi repcc 



J <jrienwoo(! 

J, u' Height. 

^.' v'iew, Knox 

,1, ,, .;.^. McKeespon 

West Liberty Eo?^'^''''^«'<«» >• ^«^O'^0 -h 4"^' ^^''^'''^'' 

io«,„ n zi Belraar, Wood 

lawn, Confluence , , . ,, ^, 

•^ , , 'to these there 

are earnest souls .t .. : he church wh, 

de.,re and receive the P«.,toral offi,v , 
at the same time tt^ 

who are attending nmg peopl. 

" The utn. , , . 

to visit the ^ '-al^orkis 

— rs. Mnpfi 



laajJtorate of ti^e Eeb* (George % (Bon^a'wavt 

attention, therefore, is given to parish literature in lieu of 
direct pastoral visitation. An effort has been made to reach 
all the families of the parish by mailing The Parish Bulletin 
and other pastoral messages from time to time, together with 
daily use of the telephone. In this connection grateful 
acknowledgment is made of the generous gift of an Address- 
ograph which will greatly facilitate our clerical work. 

" In view of these facts, long ago realized, I feel con- 
strained, after much prayerful deliberation, to say that if 
this important work is to be done efficiently, the congregation 
should authorize the Church Council, at the discretion of the 
latter to secure the services of a parish Deaconess, whose 
duties shall be those customary for such a parish worker 
according to the polity of the Lutheran Church." 

The report gives the communicant membership as 
about four hundred and fifty, of whom three hundred 
and fifty- two received the Lord's Supper during the 
preceding year, 

February 1, 1909, the Council received the resigna- 
tions of Mr. Weyman as director of the Church's 
music and of Mr. Archer as organist, to take effect 
May 1. Mr. Weyman earnestly desiring to be re- 
lieved of the responsibility and Mr. Archer having 
planned an extended trip abroad, the Council finally 
accepted the resignations with great regret and with 
sincere appreciation of their seventeen years of united 
service, during which time the musical services of the 
congregation have received most noteworthy develop- 
ment and enrichment. Mr. Weyman, who had occu- 
pied this position for twenty years, assured the Coun- 
cil of his continued interest in this work and at a 
subsequent meeting presented a plan for the reorgan- 
ization of the musical interests of the congregation, 

[191] 



f tot Cngltigi^ Luti^emn Cl^urci^ 

which included an exceedingly liberal subscription 
towards the expense. The Council unanimously 
adopted the plan and thanked Mr. Weyman for his 
generous proposition, also unanimously resolving, 
upon motion of Mr. Sellers, ''that the music of our 
church services be continued as at present." 

A special committee, consisting of Messrs. Albert 
W. Smith and Horace W. Bikle, was appointed, which 
later presented the following report, which was ac- 
cepted and unanimously approved by the Council : 

" Appreciating the value and saeredness of the historic 
in Church Music, and that the musical setting of the services 
of our Church has been brought to a high standard of excel- 
lence by ]\Ir. B. F. Weyman, who has for a number of years 
taken full charge of the music in our congregation, bearing 
himself the greater part of the expense for the sole purpose 
of developing a common setting of music to our Common 
Service throughout the Lutheran Church, which he has also 
put in printed form and which is now available, and realiz- 
ing that what he has accomplished has been possible only 
through a large and constant expenditure of thought, time 
and money, which can never be requited or adequately recog- 
nized, we, the Council of the First Lutheran Church, Pitts- 
burgh, hereby record our heartfelt gratitude for his inval- 
uable services to our congregation as well as to the entire 
Lutheran Church." 

On Sunday, March 21, in the Chief Service, a 
special act of dedication was performed by the pastor. 
The Ladies' Society of the congregation had erected 
in the west wall of the south end of the transept a 
bronze tablet in memory of the Rev. Dr. Ceisginger. 
The memorial, mounted on Sienna marble, is of cast 

[192] 



J^ajstomte of ti^e Eeb* (Btotgt % (Bongatoare 

bronze with a wide border of raised ivy leaves within 
which is the following inscription : 

In Loving Memory of 

Eev. David Harrison Geissinger 

Doctor of Divinity 

+ 1844 + 1907 + 

Soldier and Minister of The Gospel 

A Faithful Pastor of This Parish 

For Fourteen Years 

Until The Close of His Life. 

This Is The Victory That Overcometh The World, 

Even Our Faith. 

The Easter Services were marked by the usual 
churchliness, beauty, and devotional spirit. The offer- 
ing at the Chief Service amounted to $1024.00, while 
that of the Sunday Schools at four o'clock Vespers 
was $476.00, the total being much in excess of that of 
former years. 

And now, what of the future 1 We may confidingly 
leave it entirely to Him Who hath thus far led us on. 
The work is His ; the workers are His ; the results are, 
of necessity, in His mighty hand. Behold the veritable 
abundance and constancy of the Divine blessing in 
the career of this congregation ! Shall we not realize 
anew the measure of His mercy toward us, shall we 
not renew our vows of love, yielding to Him daily 
the willing service of our hands and our hearts ' loyal 
devotion! Verily, hitherto hath the Lord helped us. 



13 [193] 



^ppenbix 



CHARTER 

(Charter granted 

George Weyman, 
William Richart, 
Daniel Groff, 
F. A. Heiselt, 
William J. Anschutz, 
Christopher Lenhart, 
Samuel Fahnestock, 
Jeremiah Ritz, 
Daniel Smith, 
Henry C. Marthens, 
Jacob Hoffman, 
Charles Ream, 
C. W. Lefpingwell, 
Mary Leffingwell, 
Catharena Lauman, 
Eliza Gould, 
Eliza Jane Heilman, 
Michael Egolf, 
Rebecca Runyan, 
Catharine Haselbach, 
John P. Gabel, 
Rachel Ritz, 
Mary Graff, 
Margaret Ream, 
Catharine Heisely, 
Elizabeth Runyan, 
George Royer, 
Elizabeth Royer, 
J. Sheets, 
Eliza Propheter, 



MEMBERS 

March 11, 1840.) 
w. schuler, 
John Runyan, 
Samuel Cook, 
Andrew W. Berkley, 
Henry W. Caufman, 
IMrs. Caufman, 
Margaret Ebright, 
Daniel Mitchell, 
Henriette Mitchell, 
]\rRS. Plitt, 
]\Irs. Nicklin, 
I\Iargaret Kreiter, 
I\Irs. Eliza Zug, 
Elizabeth Streamer, 
Lydia Shrepler, 
Mrs. Mary Egolf, 
Mrs. Jane Huber, 
Samuel Hubley, 
Charles P. Geissenhainer, 
Peter Fahnestock, 
George Hl'bley, 
Jacob Dobler, 
Henry Brown, 
Anna Frances Barclay, 
Robert Jackson, 
John R. Hersh, 
Mary Graham, 
Levi H. Phillips, 
Anthony Wentz, 
Elizabeth Gearing. 



[105] 



ftrjst c^nglijs]^ luti^eran Ci^urci^ 



FIRST COUNCIL 

The Rev. C. F. Heyer Pastor. 

George Weyman and F. A. Heisely . . . Elders. 
Jeremiah Ritz and W. J. Anschutz. .Deacons. 

PASTORS 

The Rev. C. F. Heyer, Jan., 1837, to Nov., 1838. 
The Rev. Emanuel Frey, Nov., 1838, to Dee., 1838. 
The Rev. John McCron, D.D., May, 1839, to Nov., 1842. 
The Rev. W. H. Smith, Apr., 1843, to May, 1844. 
The Rev. W. A. Passavant, D.D., June, 1844, to Jan., 1855. 
The Rev. C. P. Krauth, D.D., LL.D., Oct., 1855, to Sept., 1859. 
The Rev. Reuben Hill, D.D., Jan., 1860, to July, 1866. 
The Rev. Samuel Laird, D.D., May, 1867, to July, 1879. 
The Rev. Edmund Belfour, D.D., Feb., 1880, to July, 1892. 
The Rev. David H. Geissinger,D.D., Apr., 1893, to Mar., 1907. 
The Rev. George J. Gongaware, May, 1905, to 

SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 

The Rev. C. F. Heyer, 1837, John R. Hersh, 1848, 
Michael Egolf, James Shane, 1848, 

John R. Hersh, 1840-1847, John R. Hersh, 1849-1850, 
William Gillespie, 1847, George Hubley, 1850-1866, 

George Hubley, 1847-1848, Thos. H. Lane, 1866-1902, 
J. Harvey Wattles, 1902- 

SUPERINTENDENTS OF ST. JOHN'S 
SUNDAY SCHOOL 

George Hubley, Charles A. Geissenhainer, 

C. C. Baer, Edward R. Fuhr, 

W. H. Gillespie, Lincoln H. Partridge, 

Thomas H. Lane, J. H. A. Wunderlich; 

Wn.LiAM W. Wattles, J. H. Krummell. 

[196] 



^ppmhix 



SUPERINTENDENT OF SHADYSIDE 
SUNDAY SCHOOL 

Horace W. Bikle, 1905- 

MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION ORDAINED 
TO THE MINISTRY 

The Rev. John Rugan, 

The Rev. George Holmes, 

The Rev. Asa H. Waters, 

The Rev. J. Q. Waters, 

The Rev. J. H. W. Stuckenberg, D.D. 

The Rev. Frank Richards, D.D., 

The Rev. Albert F. Siebert, D.D., 

The Rev. G. H. Gerberding, D.D., 

The Rev. Wm. A. Passavant, Jr., 

The Rev. Detmar L. Passavant, 

The Rev. Oscar Holmgrain, 

The Rev. J. L. Fisher, 

The Rev. G. Edward Krauth, 

The Rev. F. W. Barry. 

THE CHURCH COUNCIL 

1837 

Elders. Deacons. Trustees. 

George Weymau Jeremiah Ritz 

F. A. Heisely W. J. Anshutz 

1838 
George Weyman Jeremiah Ritz 

F. A. Heisely W. J. Ansehutz 

Michael Egolf 
H. W. Caufman 
[197] 



fim (Bn^ligl) tnti^nan Ci^urci^ 





1839 




Elders. 


Deacons. 


Trustees. 


George Weyman 


Jeremiah Ritz 




F. A. Heisely 


W. J. Anschutz 
Michael Egolf 
H. W. Caufman 

1840 




George Weyman 


Jeremiah Ritz 


Chi'istopher Lenhart 


F. A. Heisely 


W. J. Anschutz 


Dr. P. Falinestock 


Chas. Geissenhainer 


Michael Egolf 
H. W. Caufman 
Samuel Cook 
George Royer 

1841 


Henrj- Brown 


George Weyman 


Jeremiah Ritz 


Christopher Lenhart 


F. A. Heisely 


W. J. Anschutz 


C. Geissenhainer 


Dr. P. Fahnestock 


H. W. Caufman 
Samuel Cook 
C. S. Passavant 
John Shaffer 

1842 


John C. Smith 


George Weyman 


H. W. Caufman 


J. C. Smith 


F. A. Heisely 


C. S. Passavant 


D. Maclean 


Dr. P. Fahnestock 


Samuel Cook 
George Royer 
Jeremiah Ritz 
John Shaffer 

1843 


Alexander Wright 


George Weyman 


George Royer 


David Maclean 


F. A. Heisely 


Peter Grafi 


John Brown 


Dr. P. Falinestock 


Jeremiah Ritz 
John Shaffer 


W. Gillespie 




John R. Hersh 


,• 




Wm. Perkins 






[198] 





9lppmDijc 





1844 




Elders. 


Deacons. 


Trustees. 


George Weyman 


Jeremiah Ritz 


Wm. Gillespie 


F. A. Heisely 


John Shaffer 


Jacob Dobler 


Dr. P. Fahnestock 


John R. Hersh 
Wm. Perkins 
Peter Graff 
Christian Yeager 

1845 


Jacob Seibert 


George Weyman 


John R. Hersh 


Wm. Gillespie 


F. A. Heisely 


Wm. Perkins 


Jacob Dobler 


Jeremiah Ritz 


Peter Graff 
James Hale 
David Maclean 
John Vaughan 

1846 


Jacob Seibert 


George Weyman 


John R. Hersh 


John Shaffer 


Jeremiah Ritz 


Wm. Perkins 


W. Young 


Henry Graff 


Peter Graff 
James Hale 
David Maclean 
John Vaughan 

1847 


Dr. A. Lange 


George Weyman 


J. R. Hersh 


Paul Hugus 


Jeremiah Ritz 


James Shane 


Jacob Seibert 


Henry Graff 


John Brown 
George Hubley 
C. Geissenhainer 
John Dull 

1848 
Same Officers. 

1849 

Same Officers. 

[199] 


G. P. Hawke 



fitjst Cngltig]^ Luti^eran Ci^urc)^ 



Elders. 
George Weyman 
Henry Graff 
Edward Rahm 



George Weyman 
Henry Graff 
Edward Rahm 



George Weyman 
Henry Graff 
Edward Rahm 



George Weyman 
Henry Graff 
Edward Rahm 



George WejTnan 
Henry Graff 
Edward Rahm 



1850 
Deacons. 
John Brown 
George Hubley 
C. Geissenhainer 
John Dull 
James Shane 
J. R. Hersh 

1851 

John Brown 
George Hubley 
Thos. H. Lane 
G. P. Hawke 
C. Geissenhainer 
James Shane 

1852 
G. P. Hawke 
C. Geissenhainer 
John Brown 
George Hubley 
James Shane 
Thos. H. Lane 

1853 
C. Geissenhainer 
G. P. Hawke 
John Brown 
George Hubley 
James Shane 
Thos. H. Lane 

1854 
C. Geissenhainer 
G. P. Hawke 
John Brown 
George Hubley 
James Shane 
Thos. H. Lane 
[200] 



Trustees. 
G. P. Hawke 
Thos. H. Lane 
A. S. Getty 



A. S. Getty 
W. S. Haven 
Paul Hugus 



A. S. Getty 
W. S. Haven 
Paul Hugus 



A. S. Getty 
W. S. Haven 
Matthew Graff 



Matthew Graff 
George J. Duff 
P. W. H. Latshaw 



^Lppentiijc 



Elders. 
George Wejmaan 
Henry Graff 
Edward Rahm 



George Weyman 
Edward Rahm 
Matthew Graff 



George Weyman 
Edward Rahm 
Matthew Graff 



George Weyman 
Edward Rahm 
Matthew Graff 



George Weyman 
Edward Rahm 
George Hubley 



1855 
Deacons. 
C. Geissenhainer 
James Shane 
John Brown 
George Hubley 
Thos. H. Lane 
P. W. H. Latshaw 

1856 
C. Geissenhainer 
John Brown 
George Hubley 
Thos. H. Lane 
P. W. H. Latshaw 
Christian Yeager 

1857 
C. Geissenhainer 
John Brown 
George Hubley 
Thos. H. Lane 
Christian Yeager 
A. S. Getty 

1858 

John Brown 
George Hubley 
Thos. H. Lane 
Christian Yeager 
A. S. Getty 
Thomas Phillips 

1859 

John Brown 
Thos. H. Lane 
A. S. Getty 
Thomas Phillips 
J. S. Newmeyer 
Dr. A. Lange 
[201] 



Trustees. 
Matthew Graff 
George J. Duff 
D. W. Herstine 



George J. Duff 
Paul Seibert 
Thomas Phillips 



George J. Duff 
Paul Seibert 
John B. Chalmers 



George J. Duff 
John B. Chalmers 
J. S. Newmeyer 



George J. Duff 
John B. Chalmers 
David A. Foulke 



fim Cnglijg]^ Lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 



Elders. 
George Weyman 
Edward Rahm 
George Hubley 



George Wejonan 
Edward Rahm 
George Hubley 



George Weyman 
Edward Rahm 
George Hubley 



George Weyman 
Edward Rahm 
George Hubley 



George Weyman 
Edward Rahm 
George Hubley 



1860 
Deacons. 
Thos. H. Lane 
A. S. Getty 
J. S. Newmeyer 
Dr. A. Lange 
David A. Foulke 
George J. Duff 

1861 
Thos. H. Lane 
Dr. A. Lange 
J. S. Newmeyer 
David A. Foulke 
A. S. Getty 
George J. Duff 

1862 
Thos. H. Lane 
J. S. Newmeyer 
Dr. A. Lange 
David A. Foulke 
A. S. Getty 
George J. Duff 

1863 

Thos. H. Lane 
J. S. Newmeyer 
Dr. A. Lange 
DaA-id A. Foulke 
A. S. Getty 
George J. Duff 

1864 

Thos. H. Lane 
J. S. Newmeyer 
Dr. A. Lange 
David A. Foulke 
A. S. Getty 
John B. Chalmers 
[202] 



Trustees. 
John B. Chalmers 
C. H. Gillespie 
Wm. S. Moore 



John B. Chalmers 
Wm. S. Moore 
C. H. Gillespie 



John B. Chalmers 
Wm. S. Moore 
C. H. Gillespie 



John B. Chalmers 
Wm. S. Moore 
Chas. H. Gillespie 



Wm. S. Moore 
J. H. Lyday 
Wm. F. Lang 



^ppenDijt: 



Elders. 
George Weyman 
George Hiibley 
Dr. A. Lange 



1865 
Deacons. 
Thos. H. Lane 
J. S. Newmeyer 
David A. Foulke 
A. S. Getty 
John B. Chalmers 
J. H. Lyday 



Trustees. 
Wm. F. Lang 
W. D. Beeler 
Adam Weaver 



1866 

Same Officers. 



George Wejonan 
George Hubley 
Dr. A. Lange 



1867 

Thos. H. Lane 
J. S. Newmeyer 
David A. Foulke 
J. H. Lyday 
Col. D. M. Armor 
P. W. H. Latshaw 



Wm. F. Lang 
W. D. Beeler 
Wm. P. Weyman 



George Weyman 
Dr. A. Lange 
David A. Foulke 



1868 
Thos. H. Lane Wm. F. Lang 

W. D. Beeler Wm. P. Weyman 

Col. D. M. Armor Wm. W. Wattles 
P. W. H. Latshaw 
John Brown 
Col. James Sheafer 



George Weyman 
Dr. A. Lange 
David A. Foulke 



1869 

Thos. H. Lane 
W. D. Beeler 
Col. D. M. Armor 
P. W. H. Latshaw 
John Brown 
Col. James Sheafer 
[203] 



Wm. F. Lang 
Wm. P. Weyman 
Wm. W. Wattles 



fim €nq,li^}) JLutl^emn Ci^urcl^ 





1870 




Elders. 


Deacons. 


Trustees. 


George Weyman 


Thos. H. Lane 


Wm. P. Weyman 


Dr. A. Lange 


Col, D. M. Armor 


Wm. W. Wattles 


David A. Foulke 


P. W. H. Latshaw 
John Brown 
Col. James Sheafer 
Wm. F. Lang 

1871 


Jos. S. Seaman 


Dr. A. Lange 


Col. D. M. Armor 


Wm. P. Weyman 


Da\dd A. Foulke 


P. W. H. Latshaw 


Wm. W. Wattles 


Thos. H. Tiane 


John Brown 
Col. James Sheafer 
Wm. F. Lang 
J. S. Seaman 

1872 


John A. Kaercher 


Dr. A. Lange 


Col. D. M. Armor 


Wm. P. Weyman 


David A. Foulke 


P. W. H. Latshaw 


Wm. W. Wattles 


Thos. H. Lane 


Col. James Sheafer 
Wm. F. Lang 
J. S. Seaman 
Chas. H. Gillespie 

1873 

Same Officers. 

1874 


John A. Kaercher 


Dr. A. Lange 


Col. D. M. Armor 


Wm. P. Weyman 


Thos. H. La,ne 


P. W. H. Latshaw 


Wm. W. Wattles 


John A. Kaercher 


Col. James Sheafer 
Wm. F. Lang 
Jos. S. Seaman 
Chas. H. Gillespie 


A. H. Lane 




1875 






Same Officers. 


»' 




[204] 





^ppettDijc 



Elders. 
Dr. A. Lange 
Thos. H. Lane 
John A. Kaereher 



Dr. A. Lange 
Thos. H. Lane 
John A. Kaereher 



Dr. A. Lange 
Thos. H. Lane 
John A. Kaereher 



Dr. A. Lange 
Thos. H. Lane 
John A. Kaereher 



1876 

Same Officers. 

1877 

Same Officers. 

1878 
Deacons. 
Col. D. M. Armor 
P. W. H. Latshaw 
Col. James Sheafer 
Wm. F. Lang 
Jos. S. Seaman 
Chas. H. Gillespie 

1879 
Col. D. M. Armor 
P. W. H. Latshaw 
Col. James Sheafer 
Wm. F. Lang 
Jos. S. Seaman 
Chas. H. Gillespie 

1880 
Same Officers. 

1881 
Col. D. M. Armor 
Col. James Sheafer 
Wm. F. Lang 
Jos. S. Seaman 
Chas. H. Gillespie 

1882 
Col. James Sheafer 
Wm. F. Lang 
Jos. S. Seaman 
Chas. H. Gillespie 
W. D. Beeler 
Daniel Welty 
[205] 



Trustees. 
Wm. W. Wattles 
C. Beringer 
Wm. Siebert, Sr. 



Wm. W. Wattles 
C. Beringer 
Henry Balken 



Wm. W. Wattles 
C. Beringer 
Henry Balken 



Wm. W. Wattles 
Henry Balken 
George F. Kim 



fit^t (Bnq\\^\^ Lutl^eran Cl^urcl^ 





1883 






Same Officers. 






1884 






Same Officers. 






1885 




Elders. 


Deacons. 


Trustees. 


Dr. A. Lange 


Col. James Sheafer 


Wm. W. Wattles 


Thos. H. Lane 


Wm. F. Lang 


Henry Balken 


John A. Kaercher 


Jos. S. Seaman 
Chas. H. Gillespie 
Daniel Welty 
Wm. G. Armor 

1886 
Same Officers. 

1887 

Same Officers. 
1888 


George F. Kim 


Dr. A. Lange 


Col. James Sheafer 


Henry Balken 


Thos. H. Lane 


Wm. F. Lang 


George F. Kim 


John A. Kaercher 


Jos. S. Seaman 
Chas. H. Gillespie 
Daniel Welty 
Wm. G. Armor 

1889. 
Same Officers. 

1890 


John S. Scully 


Dr. A. Lange 


Col. James Sheafer 


George F. Kim 


Thos. H. Lane 


Wm. F. Lang 


John S. Scully 


John A. Kaercher 


Jos. S. Seaman 
Daniel Welty 


John H. Niebaum 




Wm. G. Armor 


*■ 




Henry Balken 






[206] 





9ippent)ijc 





1891 




Elders. 


Deacons. 


Trustees. 


Thos. H. Lane 


Col. James Sheafer 


George F. Kim 


John A. Kaercher 


Jos. S. Seaman 


John S. Scully 


Wm. F. T,a,ng 


Wm. G. Armor 
Henry Balken 
W. Warren Wattles 
H. W. Sellers 

1892 

Same Officers. 

1893 
Same Officers. 

1894 
Same Officers. 

1895 

Same Officers. 

1896 


John H. Niebaum 


Thos. H. Lane 


Col. James Sheafer 


George F. Kim 


John A. Kaercher 


Jos. S. Seaman 


John H. Niebaum 


Wm. F. La,ng 


Wm. G. Armor 
Henry Balken 
W. Warren Wattles 
H. W. Sellers 

1897 


Wm. B. Wolfe 


Thos. H. T-ane 


Col. James Sheafer 


George F. Kim 


John A. Kaercher 


Jos. S. Seaman 


J. H. Niebaum 


Wm. F. Lang 


Wm. G. Armor 


Wm. H. Black 



Henry Balken 

W. Wan-en Wattles 

H. W. Sellers 



1898 

Same Officers. 

[207] 



firjst €nq,li^}) lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 





1899 






Same Officers. 






1900 






Same Officers. 






1901 






Same Officers. 






1902 




Elders. 


Deacons. 


Trustees. 


Thos. H. Lane 


Jos. S. Seaman 


George F. Kim 


Wm. F. Lang 


Wm. G. Armor 


J. H. Niebaum 


Col. James Sheafer 


W. Warren Wattles 
H. W. Sellers 
Wm. Steinmeyer 
Henry Balkan 

1903 

Same Officers. 

1904 

Same Officers. 

1905 


Wm. H. Black 


Thos. H. Lane 


Wm. G. Armor 


J. H. Niebaum 


Col. James Sheafer 


Henry Balken 


Wm. H. Black 


Jos. S. Seaman 


W. Warren Wattles 
H. W. Sellers 
Wm. Steinmeyer 
George F. Kim 

1906 


Otto C. Graf 


Thos. H. Lane 


Henry Balken 


J. H. Niebanm 


Col, James Sheafer 


H. W. Sellers 


Wm. H. Black 


Jos. S. Seaman 


Wm. Steinmeyer 
George F. Kim 


Otto C. Graf 




J. Harvey Wattles 


- 




Albert W. Smith 






[208] 





appmDijc 



Elders. 
Thos. H. Lane 
Col. James Sheafer 
Jos. S. Seaman 



1907 

Deacons. 
Henry Balken 
H. W. Sellers 
Wm. Steinmeyer 
J. Harvey Wattles 
Albert W. Smith 
C. F. Schaefer 



Trustees. 
J. H. Niebaum 
Wm. H. Black 
Otto C. Graf 



Col. James Sheafer 
Jos. S. Seaman 
Wm. Steinmeyer 



1908 
Henry Balken 
H. W. SeUers 
J. Har%'ey Wattles 
Albert W. Smith 
C. F. Schaefer 
W. Warren Wattles 



J. H. Niebaum 
Wm. H. Black 
Otto C. Graf 



Jos. S. Seaman 
Wm. Steinmeyer 
W. Warren Wattles 



1909 
Henry Balken 
H. W. Sellers 
C. F. Schaefer 
J. Harvey Wattles 
Albert W. Smith 
Horace W. Bikle 



J. H. Niebaum 
Wm. H. Black 
Otto C. Graf 



$xm €nq^igl^ tnt^ttan €\^mct^ 



PRESENT ORGANIZATION OF THE 
CONGREGATION 



THE CHURCH COUNCIL 

Pastor. 
The Rev. George J. Gongaware. 

Elders. 
Mr. Joseph S. Seaman, Mr. William Steinmeyer, 

]\Ir. W. Warren Wattles. 

Deacons. 
Mr. Henry Balken, Mr. C. F. Schaefer, 

Secretary, Treasurer, 

Mr. H. W. Sellers, Mr. Albert W. Smith, 

Mr, J. Harvey Wattles, ]\Ir. Horace W. Bikle. 

Trustees. 
Mr. John H. Niebaum, 
Mr. William H. Black, 
Mr. Otto C. Graf. 



THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 

GRANT street SCHOOL. 

3Iain School. 

Mr. J. Harvey Wattles Superintendent. 

Mr. Horace W. Bikle Assistant Superintendent. 

Mr. Albert P. Weitzel Treasurer. 

Mr. Oscar Kapff Secretary. 

Mr. Robert R. Wingert Lihra>rian. 

Mr. Oscar W. A. Getting Organist. 

[2101 



appentiijc 



Teachers. 
Miss Annie E. L. Portzer, Miss Hattie J. Fuhr, 
Mr. Samuel L. Hamilton, Mr. Albert W. Smith, 
Miss Annie W. Fuhr, Miss K W. Thompson, 

Mr. Horace W. Bikle, Mr. Charles W. Fuhr, 

Miss Katharine F. Ream, Mv. William Buhl, Jr., 
The Rev. George J. Gongaware. 

Primary Department. 

Mrs. David H. Geissinger | Suverintendents. 

Miss Annie L. Sheaper j 

Miss Carrie E. Kim Organist. 

shadyside school. 
Main School. 

Mr. Horace W. Bikle Superintendent. 

Mr. George S. White Assistant Superintendent. 

Mr. Paul L. Reiber Secretary. 

Mr. William Letche Treasurer. 

Mr. Carl A. Weber Librarian. 

Mr. Thomas Lane Watson Assistant Librarian. 

Mr. Edwin L. Reiber Pianist. 

Teachers. 
Mrs. T. H. DoLAN, Miss Clara L. Niebaum, 

Miss Mary Price Lane, Mr. Edvvtard F. Daume, 
Mrs. John C. Kohne, Miss Annie L. Frasch, 

Miss Madeline M. Steinmeyer. 

Primary Department. 

Miss Louise E. Baker Superintendent. 

Miss Sadie M. Niebaum 1 t h 

Miss Dorothea C. Kim / 

home department. 
Mr. Chakles W. Fuhr Superintendent. 

[211] 



fim €ng^i^^ lutl^eran Ci^urcl^ 

THE CRADLE ROLL. 

Mrs. John Prichard Superintendent. 

Miss Clara L. Niebaum Secretary. 

Annie J. Feigel Treasurer. 



THE CHAPEL GUILD 

Miss i\lARGARET Lambert President. 

Miss Emily Scheller Secretary. 

Miss Carrie A. Beyer Treasurer. 

THE SOCIETY FOR PARISH AND 
MISSION WORK 

Mr, Oscar W. A. Getting President. 

Miss ]\Lvrgaret C. Haupt Secretary. 

Miss Annie L. Sheafer Treasurer. 

THE LADIES' SEWING SOCIETY 

Mrs. Anna E. Duff President. 

Mrs. William Reitz Vice President. 

Miss Julia S. Wattles Secretary-Treasurer. 

THE ALTAR SOCIETY 

Mrs. Anna E. Duff President. 

Miss Mary Price Lane Secretary. 

Miss Julia S. Wattles Treasurer. 

ORGANIST 

]Mr. Harry G. Archer. 

SEXTON 

Mr. Samuel A. Pabr. 



[212] 



Ctronolosical tKatile 



1748. Ministerimn of Pennsylvania organized. 

1814. First travelling missionaries of the Ministerimn in Western 
Pennsylvania. 

1817. First English Lutheran sermon preached in Western Penn- 
sylvania. 

1820. Greneral Synod organized. 

1825. West Pennsylvania Synod organized. 

1835. Central Missionary Society organized at Mechanicsburg, Pa. 

1837. January 15, First English Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh 

organized and Church Council elected. Sunday School 
organized, third Sunday in January. 

January 18, first meeting of the Church Council at the resi- 
dence of Mr. George Weyman. 

March 26, (Easter Sunday) first Communion service. 

November, old Court House secured for services. 

1838. November 14, the Rev. Emanuel Frey an-ived. Resigned 

December 24. 

1839. March 13, Church lots bought on Seventh Ave. for $8400. 
May 9, the Rev. John McCron arrived as " resident mis- 
sionary." 

1840. March 8, contract awarded for Seventh Ave. Church. 
March 11, Congregational charter secured. 

First Sunday in October, Seventh Ave. Church dedicated. 
Convention of the West Pennsylvania Synod held in the 
Church. 

1842. March 26, Mr. MeCron resigned. 

1843. April, the Rev. William H. Smith anived. 

July 4, George Washington's tent exhibited at a fair. 

1844. January 9, Mr. Smith resigned. 

Spring, Mr. Passavant arrived and took charge as pastor. 

1845. January 15, organization of the Pittsburgh Synod by eight 

ministers and six lay delegates. 
April 10, great fire which destroyed one-third of the city. 
1848. January, The Missionary established by Dr. Passavant. 
[213] 



Ci^ronological Cable 



1849. Januaj-y, the Infiiinary, the first Protestant hospital in 

America, established. Later known as the Passavant 
Hospital. 
July 17, beginning of Protestant Deaconess work in Amer- 
ica. Pastor Theodore Fliedner brmging four deaconesses 
from Kaiserswerth, Germany, to the Passavant Hospital. 

1850. Consecration of Catherine Louisa Marthens, the first Amer- 

ican Lutheran deaconess. 
1852. April, the Orphans' Home organized in Pittsburgh. Re- 
moved to Zelienople m May, 1854. 

1854. September 14, outbreak of cholera in Pittsburgh. 

1855. January S, Mr. Passavant resigned. 
November, Mr. Krauth mstalled as pastor. 

1859. September 12, Dr. Krauth resigned. 

November 16, Mr. Hill elected pastor. Installed January, 
1860. 

1860. October 21, Trinity Church, Allegheny, organized by mem- 

bers of the First Church. 
1862. Januai-y 8, final payment made to Mr. George Weyman on 

amounts due him by the congregation. 
1864. Theological Seminary at Philadelphia established. 
1866. January, lot purchased for a new church on the corner of 

Penn Ave. and Ninth St. 

1866. May 6, St. John's Sunday School organized. 
June 18, Mr. Hill resigned. 

November, controversy with a minority faction in the con- 
gregation which endeavored to secure control of the 
property. 

1867. Jaiuiaiy 30, By-Laws of the congregation amended. 

May, Mr. Laird entered upon his duties as pastor. In- 
stalled the fourth Sunday in June. 

November 20, the General Council organized at Fort Wayne, 
Indiana. 

1868. November 8, the Church Book introduced in the services of 

the congregation. 
November 12, Second Convention of the General Council, 

held in the First Church. 
The Ladies' Sewing Society organized. 

1869. June 25, Christ Church, East Liberty, organized. 

[214] 



Ci^ronological Cable 



November 8, Mr. George Black furnished funds to secure 
Lutheran pastors from Sweden and Norway to labor 
among the Scandinavians in the West. 

1872. Lots given for St. John's Mission on the comer of Forbes 
and Jumonville Streets by Mrs. Jane B. Black. 

1874. Building Committee appointed and plans prepared by James 
H. Windrim for a new church to be built on the lot on 
Penn Ave. and Ninth St. Project later abandoned for 
the time. 

1876. Sunday after Christmas, first Sunday School building of St. 
John's Church, Forbes and Jumonville Streets, conse- 
crated. Cost, $3425.00. 

1879. June 30, Mr. Laird resigned. 

1880. February 1, Mr. Belfour became pastor of the congregation. 
1883. November 11, service in commemoration of the four hun- 
dredth anniversary of Martin Luther's birth. 

1885. August 12, the Grant St. lot bought for $55,900.00. 

1886. November 16, the Penn Ave. and Ninth St. lot sold for 

$75,000. This lot had been bought twenty years before 
for $20,000. 

1887. January 3, Building Committee appointed. 
November 6, Comer stone of the Grant St. Church laid. 

1888. April 20, the Society for Parish and Mission Work or- 

ganized. 
October 28, last service in the Seventh Ave. Chui'ch. 
November 4, dedication of the Grant St. Church, erected at 

a cost of $94,000, ineludmg furnishings and organ. 

The lot cost $55,900 additional. 

1889. April 1, Seventh Ave. Church sold for $58,000. 

Mr. B. F. Weyman became Director of the music of the 

church. 
September 10, Convention of the General Council. 
October 10, the Krauth Memorial Baptismal Font placed in 

the church. 
November 7, ten young men of the congregation offered to 

pay $1000 a year salary for an assistant pastor who 

should also have charge of St. John's Mission. The Rev. 

F. P. Bossart was called in January, 1890. 
[215] 



Ci^ronological Cable 



1892. April 4, Dr. Belfour resigned, to take effect July 1. 
Extensive improvements were made in the chureh building 

and electric lighting introduced during the sunamer of 
1892. 

1893. January 3, the Evangelical Lutheran Mission and Church 

Extension Society of Pittsburgh, Allegheny and Vicinity 
organized in the chapel. 

April 23, the Rev. D. II. Geissinger entered upon his pas- 
torate. 

October 29, St. John's Church dedicated. 

First Sunday in Advent, first issue of the Weekly Parish 
Bulletin. September 25, 1898, changed to Parish Bulletin, 
being issued at frequent intervals. 

December 3, the first full rendering of the Vesper Service 
with Plain Song melodies. 

1894. January 17, first of a series of organ recitals, which de- 

veloped into the special Wednesday afternoon Lenten 

services which were continued for ten years. 
First Sunday in May, new system of offerings and special 

monthly collections inaugurated. 
September 18, Convention of the Pittsburgh Synod, which 

met in the First Church on the fiftieth anniversary of its 

organization. 
December 9, ser\dce commemorating the three hundredth 

anniversary of the birth of Gustavus Adolphus. 

1895. October 30-31, First National Convention of the Luther 

League, with nearly four hundred delegates from twenty 
states. 
November 4, the Altar Society was organized. 

1896. November 1, the corner stone of Grace Church, Allegheny, 

was laid. Church dedicated January 31, 1897. 
1898. April 24, formal acceptance of the Memorial Windows placed 
in the church in memory of Mr. and Mrs. George Black 
by their children. 
July 13, Auxiliarj' of the Red Cross Society formed for 

relief of the suffering in the Spanish-American War. 
October 3, the Lutheran Liturgical Association organized in 
the chapel. 

[216] 



Ci^ronological Cable 



1899. June 15-16, the Second Convocation of Church Musicians 

authorized by the General Council met in the Church. 
December 3, Fiftieth anniversai-y of the Protestant Deaconess 
work in America. Address by the Rev. Henry E. Jacobs, 
D.D., LL.D. 

1900. Rebuilding of the organ during the siimmer by the Austin 

Organ Co. 
October 30, concert by the Leipzig Quartette for Sacred 

Music. 
December 3, organization of the Lutheran Choral Society, 

Mr. Frank Benbow, Director. 

1901. September 19, Memorial Service for President McKinley. 
Publication of the " Choral Service Book," edited by Mr. 

Harry G. Archer and the Rev. Luther D. Reed. This 
book, together with the " Psalter and Canticles " and 
" Season Vespers " by the same editors, contains the 
historic service music used in the congregation. The 
choir of the First Church rendered this music in Buffalo, 
N. Y., October 8 and 9, 1901. 

1902. August 17, resignation of Mr. Thomas H. Lane from the 

Superintendency of the Sunday School, after having 
been identified with the School since July, 1840, a period 
of sixty-two years, and having served as Superinten- 
dent since January 28, 3866. 

1903. April 5-7, Third General Conference of Lutherans met in 

the church. 
October 18-19, Convention of the Pennsylvania State Luther 
League. 

1904. December 7, Dr. Geissinger stricken. 

1905. March 1, the Rev. George J. Gongaware elected Associate 

Pastor. Assumed charge May 11. Installed December 3. 
April 3, the Rev. and Mrs. Alfred Ostrom commissioned 

missionaries to Porto Rico. 
April 26, the Chapel Guild organized. 
October 1, Shadyside Sunday School organized in the Alinda 

School Building. 

1906. January 17, service in commemoration of the two hundredth 

anniversary of Lutheran Foreign Missions in India. 
February 5, Dr. Geissinger resigned. 
[217] 



Ci^ronological Cable 



April 1, Dr. Geissinger elected pastor emeritus and the Rev. 
George J. Gongaware elected pastor. 

September 19, Commissioning of Miss May C. Mellander as 
Missionary to Porto Rico. 
1907. January 20, service commemorating the seventieth anniver- 
sary of the founding of the congregation. 

March 22, death of Dr. Geissinger. Funeral service in the 
church March 25th. Sei-^dee in Memoriam April 7th. 

April 10, the Rev. A. P. G. Anderson commissioned Mis- 
sionary to Porto Rico. 

April 18, organization of the Lutheran Inner Mission Society 
of Pittsburgh. 

May 6, charter of the Church Music and Liturgical Art 
Society secured. 

June 29, transfer of title to property to St. John's Church, 
which had become self-sustaining. 
1909. March 21, dedication of the bronze tablet in memory of 
Dr. Geissinger. 



3nbex 



Alexander, George, 73. 

Allegheny missions, 83 sqq.; see 
also Emanuel Church, Alle- 
gheny; Trinity Church, Alle- 
gheny; Grace Church, Alle- 
gheny. 

Allegheny Synod, 15, 43. 

Altai' Society, 155, 160, 212. 

American Tract Society, 88. 

Anschutz, William J., 13, 30, 32, 
34, 195, 196, 197-S. 

Archer, Harry G., 151, 163 sq., 
183, 191, 212. 

Armor, Col. D. M., 91, 99, 103, 
109, 110, 112, 115, 119, 123, 
203-5. 

Armor, George, 91. 

Armor, James, 91, 156. 

Armor, William G., 130, 142, 
144, 149, 206-8. 

Arthurs, Mrs., 130, 131, 143. 

Augsburg Confession, 76, 81, 94, 
101. 

Austin Organ Co., 161. 

Bachman, the Rev. John, D.D., 

11, 50. 
Baer, Charles C, 104, 106, 115, 

196. 
Baker, Miss Louise E., 211. 
Bakewell, Benjamin, 13. 
Balken, Heni-y, viii, 91,110,125, 

126, 130, 142, 153, 168, 169, 

173, 174, 181, 205-10. 



Baptismal Font, 134 sq., 140. 
Barclay, Anna Frances, 34, 195. 
Barker, J. A., 141. 
Barker, W., Jr., 110. 
Bany, Bliss, 186. 
Barry, the Rev. F. W., 197. 
BaiTy, Miss Myrtle, 186. 
Bassler, the Rev. Gottlieb, 55, 

102. 
Baugher, the Rev. H. L., 11. 
Bayardstown, 53. 
Beeler, Washington, 98, 99, 203, 

205-6. 
Belfour, E. W., 141. 
Belf our, the Rev. Edmund, D.D., 

Pastorate, 122-147 ; 148, 182, 

196. 
Benbow, Frank, 162. 
Beringer, C, 110, 205. 
Berkemeier, the Rev. William, 

66, 104. 
Berkley, Andrew W., 33, 195. 
Bese, Dr. F., 127, 130, 143. 
Beyer, Miss Carrie A., 212. 
Bikle, Horace W., 156, 170, 192, 

197, 209, 210, 211. 
Birmingham congregation, see 

Grace Church, S. s'. 
Black, Alexander M., 124. 
Black, David, 131. 
Black, George, 77, 90, 99, 107, 

108, 115, 118 sq., 124, 157 sq. 
Black, Mrs. George (Jane B.), 

104, 115 sq., 123, 155, 157 sq. 



[219] 



3inDejc 



Black, George P., 132, 141. 
Black, William H., 141, 146, 

185, 207-10. 
Black, Mrs. William H., 159. 
Black Memorial Windows, 157 | Charter of the congregation, 30 



Chancel Committee, 142. 
Chancel improvements, 149, 156 

sq. 
(Chapel Guild, 169, 212. 



sq. 
Bossart, the Rev. Frank P., 142, 

143 sq., 146, 155. 
Boyts, Mrs. John H., 159. 
Broecker, the Rev. William, 16. 
Brown, Henrj', 34, 195, 198. 
Brown, John, 62, 63, 64, 73, 102, 

106, 198-201, 203-4. 
Bnibaker, Mss Etta, 21. 
Brubeck, the Rev. J. J., 156. 
Buhl, William, Jr., 211. 
Building Committee — Seventh 

Ave. Church, 30 ; appointed to 

build on Penn Ave. lot, 88 sq., 

110 sq.; Grant St. Church, 

130, 132-6, 138 sq.; St. John's 

Church, 145, 146, 151. 
Biiildmg Fund, 131, 142 sq. 
Bulletin, the Parish, 152, 154, 

191. 
Burgess, the Rev. Ellis B., 54, 

102. 
By-Laws of the congi-egation, 82 

sq., 96 sqq. 



Caldwell, John, 131, 134. 
Carsten, Frederick, 55. 
Caufman, Henry W., 23, 29, 32, 

34, 41, 195, 197-8. 
Caufman, Mrs. H. W., 34, 195. 
Cemetei-y lots, see Church lots. 
Central Missionaiy Society, 10, 

11, 12, 23 sq., 25. 
Chalmers, John B., 85, 98, 201-3. 

[220] 



sqq., 195. 

Choir, see Church music. 

Choral Society, the Lutheran, 
162. 

Christ Church, East End, 53, 
104, 117, 134. 

Christian Commission, 88, 116. 

Church Book, The, 103, 151. 

Church Building — Seventh Ave. 
Church : contract let, 34 ; dedi- 
cated, 37 sq.; valuation, 88, 
134; farewell services, 137; 
sold, 139; Grant St. Church: 
preliminary efforts, 109 sq.; 
lot secured, 126 sq.; building 
committee, 130, 132; construc- 
tion, 132 sq.; description, 137 
sq., 141 ; improvements, 148 
sq.; valuation, 165, 182; St. 
John's Church, 116, 144 sq. 

Church Council — members, 1837- 
1909, 197-209 ; present organi- 
zation, 210. 

Church debt, 47, 57 sq., 73, 86, 
107; deficiency in treasury, 
109, 111 sq., 125 sq., 142, 144, 
149, 165 sq., 166. 

Church lots — on Seventh Ave., 
26, 30, 37; comer of Penn 
Ave. and Ninth Sts., 88, 90, 
107 sq., 109, 114, 123 sq., 125, 
131; on Grant St., 126 sq.; 
Cemetery, 59 sq.; Nevile B. 
Craig lot, 87. 



3\nux 



Church, music — leader, 54; organ 
secured, 99 sq.; organist and 
choir secured, 104 sq., 106; 
eight hundred dollars appro- 
priated, 108 ; reorganization, 
113 sq.; instructor secured, 
124 sq.; contract for organ, 
134, 138; old organ sold, 136; 
improvement of the music, 
139; arrangement with Mr. 
B. F. Weyman, 144 sq.; or- 
gan recitals and Lenten ser- 
vices, 152; vested choir, 157; 
organ rebuilt, 161 sq.; publi- 
cation of Service Books and 
rendition of music at Buffalo, 
N. Y., 163-4; agreement of 
Council with Mr. B. F. Wey- 
man, 164-5 ; Choral Vespers at 
the Third General Conference, 
166; Church Music and Lit- 
urgical Art Society organized, 
183 ; resignations of Mr. Wey- 
man and Mr. Archer and reor- 
ganization of the work, 191 sq. 

Church Music and Liturgical 
Art Society, 183. 

City Missionary Society, 89, 114. 

Cleaning, repairs, etc., 107, 156 
sq., 162. 

Collections, see Offerings. 

Collishaw, Anna B., 15. 

Committee on Finance, see Fi- 
nance Committee. 

Common Service, The, 151, 166, 
192. 

Communion Services, 14, 38, 40, 
41, 53, 63, 79, 101, 137, 150, 
154, 191. 



Consecration, see Dedication. 

" Conservative Reformation and 
Its Theology," 76 sq., 81. 

Constitution, 156. 

Contracts, see Church Building. 

Controversies in the congrega- 
tion, 94-9. 

Controversies in the Lutheran 
Church, 75-7, 91-9. 

Convocation of Church Mu- 
sicians, 160 sq., 164. 

Cook, the Rev. Mr., 5. 

Cook, Samuel, 29, 32, 33, 195, 
198. 

Cookman, the Rev. Alfred, 75. 

Comer stone laying, 133, 156. 

Court, cases in, 97 sq., 108. 

Court House, 14, 15, 29. 

Critchlow, the Rev. G. W., 155. 

Cumberland Presbyterian Ch'ch, 
12, 52. 

Custis, the Hon. G. W. P., 48. 



Daume, Edward F., 211. 

Davidson, Mr., 69. 

Deaconess institutions and work, 

61 sq., 65, 161, 191. 
Dedication — Seventh Ave. Ch'ch, 

37 sq.; Grant St. Church, 137; 

St. John's, 151 sq.; Grace 

Church, Allegheny, 156. 
Deficiency in the treasury, see 

Church debt. 
Diehl, 114, 116. 
Dobler, Jacob, 34, 195, 199. 
Dolan, Mrs. T. H., 211. 
Duff, Capt., 117. 
Duff, Mrs. Anna E., 212. 
Duff, George J, 85, 200-2. 
[221] 



linuejc 



Duff, J. Boyd, 129. 
Dull, John, 62, 199, 200. 
Duquesne Greys, 48. 

Earhart, the Rev. Da\-id, 55. 
East Liberty Mission, see Christ 

Church, East End. 
Ebright, Mai-garet, 34, 195. 
Egolf, Mrs. Mai-y, 34, 195. 
Egolf, Michael, 15, 23, 26, 32, 

34, 195, 196, 197-8. 
Ehrenfeldt, the Rev. George F., 

55. 
Elections, 40, 82 sq., 98. 
Emanuel Church, Allegheny, 53, 

130, 163, 189. 
English language, 5 sqq., 55. 
Episcopalians, see Protestant 

Episcopal Church. 
Evangelical Alliance, 58. 
Evangelical Review, 76, 77. 
EAving, Mr., 26. 

FaJinestock, Dr. Peter, 34, 195, 
198-9. 

Fahnestock, Samuel, 34, 195. 

Fehr, the Rev. William H., 163. 

Feigel, Miss Annie J., 212. 

Finance Committee, 42, 47. 

First GeiTnan Evangelical Luth- 
eran Church of Pittsburgh, 16. 

Fii-st Presbyterian Church, 2. 

Fisher, the Rev. J. L., 197. 

Fliedner, Pastor Theodore, 62. 

Font, see Baptismal Font. 

Foreign Missions, 18 sqq., 22, 
112, 171, 180, 182. 

Forsythe, Miss Maria, 169. 

Foulke, David A., 85, 98, 99, 
108, 201-4. 

[2: 



'' Four Points," The, 103. 

Fownes, Mr., 54, 58. 

Frasch, Miss Annie L., 211. 

Frey, the Rev, Emanuel, Pastor- 
ate, 23-27; 196. 

Friek, the Rev. W. K., D.D., 
166. 

Fry, the Rev. J,, D.D., 140, 171. 

Fuhr, Charles W., 156, 170, 182, 
211. 

Fuhr, Miss Annie W., 211. 

Fuhr, Edward R., 163, 196. 

Fuhr, Miss Hattie J., 211. 

Fuller, Miss Mary A., 189. 

Gabel, John P., 34, 195, 
Gash, Maiy Webb, 21. 
Geai-iiig, Elizabeth, 34, 195. 
Geissenhainer, Charles A., 115, 

135, 142, 143, 196, 198-201. 
Geissenhainer, Charles P., 29, 30, 

32, 34, 62, 195. 
Geissenhainer, George W., 125, 

134. 
Geissenhainer, the Rev. Henry, 2. 
Geissinger, Bertram, 156. 
Geissinger, the Rev. David H., 

D.D., 44; pastorate, 148-179, 

182, 189, 192 sq., 196. 
Geissinger, Mrs. David H., 211. 
General Conference of Luth- 
erans, 166. 
General Council, 55, 95, 102, 103, 

121, 136, 139, 143, 147, 164, 

166, 169, 177 sq., 182, 184, 

185, 187. 
General Synod, 28, 47, 74, 86, 92 

sq., 94 sq., 96, 101, 102, 108, 

166. 



31ttticjc 



Gerberding, the Rev. G. H., GrifiEin, James, 55 



D.D., 51, 117, 197. 
German langnage, 5 sq. 
German Lutherans in Pitts- 
burgh, 1, 4, 5, 14, 15, 16, 18, 

25, 35, 36, 37, 38, 65, 89, 115, 

117. 
German U ni t e d Evangelical 

Protestant Church (Smithfield 

St. Church), 1 sq., 4. 
Getty, Andrew S., 62, 73, 85, 98, 

200-3. 
Gillespie, Charles H., 85, 115, 

202, 204-6. 
Gillespie, George, 156. 
Gillespie, William H., 43, 59, 

196, 198-9. 
Goettman, the Rev. John G., 

D.D., 86, 89. 
Gonga.ware, the Rev. George J., 

160, 169, 170, 172, 174, 175, 
176; pastorate, 180-193; 196, 

210, 211. 
Gould, Eliza, 34, 195. 
Grace Church, South Side, 53, 

78, 83, 89. 
Grace Church, Allegheny, 155 

sq. 
Graf, Otto C, 167, 180, 208-10. 
Graff, Daniel, 33, 195. 
Graff, Heniy, 62, 63, 68, 73, 

199-201. 
Graff, Mary, 34, 195. 
Graff, Matthew, 73, 200-1. 
Graff, Peter, 42, 43, 47, 57, 

198-9. 
Graham, Mary, 34, 195. 
Greenwald, the Rev. Emanuel, 

D.D., 82. 



Gunn, the Rev. Walter, 18 sq. 

Haan, Mrs. Theodora W. M. de, 

138. 
Haas, the Rev. John A. W., 

D.D., 160. 
Hale, James, 199. 
Hamilton, Samuel L., 169, 186, 

211. 
Hamma, the Rev. M. W., D.D., 

166. 
Harrison, President, 46. 
Hartranft, General, 176. 
Haselbach, Catharine, 34, 195. 
Hasselquist, the Rev. T. N.,D.D., 

118. 
Haupt, the Rev. Alexander J. D., 

D.D., 181. 
Haupt, Miss Margaret C, 212. 
Haven, W. S., 200. 
Haverstick, the Rev. H., 24. 
Hawke, G. P., 62, 199, 200. 
Haworth and Dewhurst, 123. 
Heckel, Albert, 156. 
Heilman, Eliza Jane, 39, 195. 
Heisely, Catharine S., 15, 34, 

195. 
Heisely, F. A., 13, 15, 23, 32, 33, 

43, 44, 112, 195, 196, 197-9. 
Heisely, Margaret C, 15. 
Heisely, Rebecca, 15. 
Heisely, William F., 15. 
Helmuth, the Rev. Dr., 17. 
Hersh, John R., 26, 32, 34, 39, 

43, 62, 195, 196, 198-200. 
Herstine, D. W., 201. 
Heyer, the Rev. Carl Friedrich, 



[223] 



9!ntiejc 



M.D., X, 8; pastorate, 10-16; 

sketch of his life, 16-22, 23, 

24, 25, 35, 38, 54, 196. 
Hill, the Rev. Reuben, D.D., 

pastorate, 82-93 ; 95, 107, 114, 

131, 132, 137, 154, 196. 
History of the congregation, 58, 

125, 155, 181, 185. 
Hoffman, Jacob, 34, 195. 
Hoffman, the Rev. John N., 24. 
Holman, Samuel, 36. 
Holmes, the Rev. G-eorge, 197, 
Holmgrain, the Rev. Oscar V., 

117^ ]97. 
Home Missions, 10 sqq., 19, 112, 

166, 186. 
Horn, the Rev. Edward T., D.D.. 

LL.D., 159. 
Homer, Mrs. Annie Wattles, 

180. 
Hospital, The Passavant, 61, 64. 
Howard, the Rev. Dr., 75. 
Huber, Mrs. Jane, 34, 195. 
Hubley, George, 26, 32, 34, 62, 

63, 66, 68, 73, 85, 89, 98, 99, 

100, 114, 195, 196, 199-203. 
Hubley, Samuel J., 34, 42, 195. 
Hugus, Paul, 199, 200. 

Indigent Fund, 103, 107, 111. 

122 sg., 169, 186, 189. 
Infirmarj'^, see Hospital. 
Inner Missions, 181. 

Jackson, Robert, 34, 195. 
Jacobs, the Rev. Henry E., D.D., 

S.T.D., LL.D., 7, 102, 161, 166. 
Jacobs, the Rev. Prof. Michael, 

D.D., 11. 



Jacobus, the Rev. Dr., 75. 
Johnston & Co., 138, 161. 
Juvenile Total Abstinence So- 
ciety, 43. 

Kaercher, John A., 107, 109, 110, 
112, 140, 145, 183, 204-8. 

Kaercher, John B., 141. 

Kaiser, W. F., 143. 

Kapff, Oscar, 210. 

Kim, Miss Came E., 159, 211. 

Kim, Miss Dorothea C, 211. 

Kim, George F., 142, 205-8. 

Kim, James W., 141. 

Kindborg, the Rev, John W., 
117 sq. 

Kohne, Mrs. John C, 211. 

Krauss, the Rev. Elmer F., D.D., 
160. 

Krauth, the Rev. Charles Philip, 
D.D., 38, 78. 

Krauth, the Rev, Charles Porter- 
field, D.D., LL.D., x; pastor- 
ate, 68-81, 83, 90, 102, 113, 
123 sq., 134, 140, 151, 196. 

Krauth, the Rev, G. Edward, 
151, 197. 

Kreiter, Margaret, 34, 195. 

Krummel, J. H., 196. 

Kuhlman, the Rev. Luther, D.D., 
171. 

Kunkleman, the Rev. J. A., 
D.D., 133, 137, 169. 

Kurtz, the Rev. Henry, 2. 

Ladies' Relief Society, 103. 
Ladies' Sewing Society, 104, 

107, 138, 149, 151,^156, 170, 

192 sq., 212. 



[224] 



%nhtx 



Laird, the Rev. Samuel, D.D., 
pastorate, 94-121; 137, 150, 
196. 

Lambert, Miss Margaret, 212. 

Lambert, the Rev. W. A., 12. 

Lane, A. H., 204-5. 

Lane, Mrs. Eliza Hetich, 183. 

Lane, Thomas H., viii, ix, 19, 48, 
49, 62, 66, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 
77, 82, 85, 97, 98, 99, 103, 
107, 109, 110, 112, 115, 119, 
122, 124, 125, 127, 130, 131, 
132, 141, 142, 143, 145, 146, 
153, 155, 156, 164, 168, 169, 
170, 173, 174, 181, 182, 183 
sq., 196, 200-9. 

Lane, Dr. W. B., 183. 

Lane, W. C, 48, 60. 

Lang, Jacob, 141. 

Lang, William F., 95, 98, 99, 107, 
109, 110, 115, 119, 123, 130, 
131, 132, 140, 146, 165, 166 
sq., 202-8. 

Lang, Mrs. William F., 159. 

Lange, Dr. Arnold, 85, 98, 99, 
103, 124, 141, 199, 201-6. 

Lange, Dr. C. C, 109, 110. 

Lauman, Catharena, 34, 195. 

Latshaw, P. W. H., 99, 122, 200, 
201, 203. 

Lawreneeville, 53. 

Lawson, the Rev. Mr., 84. 

Leffingwell, C. W., 34, 195. 

Leffingwell, Mary, 34, 195. 

Lehmanowsky, Colonel, 49. 

Leipzig Quartette for Sacred 
Music, 162. 

Lenhart, Christopher, 32, 34, 195, 
198. 



Lenten services, 152. 

Letehe, William, 211. 

Lincoln, President, 176, 187. 

Lingenfelser, Fred W., 143. 

Liturgical Association, the Luth- 
eran, 159 sq. 

Liturgical controversies and ap- 
pointments, 59, 62, 88, 92, 100, 
103, 104, 183. 

Lochman, the Rev. A. H., 38. 

Lord's Supper, see Communion. 

Lowman, Catharine, 15. 

Lane, Miss Mary Price, 211. 

Lowman, John, 15. 

Luther League, 154, 167. 

Lutheran, The, 67, 76, 77, 80, 92, 
177 sq., 186. 

Lutheran Observer, 25, 52, 60, 91. 

Lyday, J. H., 98, 99, 101, 202-3. 

Lyman, the Rev. Dr., 75. 

Mackeral, J., 35. 
Maclean, David, 198. 
Marthens, Sister Catherine 

Louisa, 64, 65, 160. 
Marthens, Henry C, 34, 195. 
Martin, the Rev. J., 11, 12. 
Massingham, Sherman, 142. 
Mayer, the Rev. Dr. Philip, 77. 
McCollum, Prof., 124. 
McCompsey, W. B., 114, 116, 

134. 
McConnell, Robert, 42. 
McCron, the Rev. John, D.D.. 

pastorate, 28-46, 47, 196. 
McKinley, President, 163. 
Melhorn, the Rev. J. K., 137. 
Mellander, Miss May C, 177, 

182. 



15 



[225] 



SlnDejc 



Methodist Church, 36, 45. 
Methodist Protestant Church, 29. 
Meyran, Charles, 115. 
Miller, the Rev. C. Annand, 

D.D., 181. 
Millei-ites, 46. 
Millmger, Mrs., 54. 
Ministeiium of Pennsylvania, ], 

5, 10, 17, 18, 19, 22, 94-6, 

103, 121. 
Ministry, Members of the con- 
gregation in, 117, 197. 

Mission and Church Extension 
Society of Pittsburgh, Alle- 
gheny and Vicinity, 87, 150, 
186. 

Missionary Society, see Central 
Missionary Society. 

Missionai-y, The, 60 sq., 63, 67, 
76, 92. 

Missions, 41, 52 sq., 56, 61, 63, 
65, 69, 74, 83 sqq., 86, 89, 

104, 107, 108, 117, 121, 135, 
155, 169, 170, 171, 177, 186; 
see also Foreign IVIissions, 
Home Missions, and names of 
individual congregations. 

Mitchell, Daniel, 34, 195. 
Mitchell, Henriette, 34, 195. 
Moore, William S., 85, 202. 
Morehead, the Rev. James A., 

D.D., 166. 
MoiTis, C. A., 29. 
MoiTis, the Rev. J. G., D.D., 

186 sq. 
Mt. Calvary Church, McKees 

Rocks, 53. 
Mozart Musical Society, 38, 40. t 

[226] 



Muhlenberg, the Rev. Henry 

Melehior, 1. 
Muhlenberg, General Peter, 7, 
Muhlenberg College, 91. 
Mun-ay, Samuel, 42. 

Nelson, Dr. J. H., 64. 

" New Measures," 46, 52 ; see 

also Protracted Meeting. 
Newmeyer, Jacob S., 85, 95, 97, 

98, 99, 100, 101, 107 sq., 124, 

201-3. 
Newmeyer, John C, 124. 
New York Ministerium, 6 sq. 
Nicklin, Mi-s., 34, 195. 
Niebaum, Miss Clara L., 211, 

212. 
Niebaum, Miss Sadie M., 211, 
Niebaum, John H., 142, 206-10. 

Odean Singing Society, 40. 

Getting, Oscar W. A., 210, 212. 

Offermgs — Collections made by 
Mr. MeCron, 35 sq.; mission 
collections, 41; pledges by 
members of Synod, 44; col- 
lected on Church debt, 73, 86 ; 
time for special, 102 sq.; for 
repairs, 107; weekly, restored, 
126; in aid of Lutheran 
Church in Rochester, Pa., 126 ; 
special during year 1887, 135 ; 
for sufferers from flood and 
fire at Titusville and Gil City, 
146; system of, 152 sq.; 
Easter, 1903, 166; for St. 
Mark's Church, New York, 
167; Easter, 1905, 169; for 
San Francisco eai-thqu«ke suf- 
ferers, 180; India bank fail- 



3InDejr 



ure, 180; Easter, 1907, 182; 
Easter 1908, 186; on Christ- 
mas Day, 189; Easter, 1909, 
193. 

Ohl, the Rev. J. F., Mus. Doc, 
159. 

Organ, see Church music. 

Organ recitals, 152. 

Orphans' Home, 22, 63 sq., 135, 
153. 

Ostrom, the Rev. Alfred, 182. 

Parish Bulletin, 43. 

Parr, Samuel A., 212. 

Partridge, Lincoln H., 196. 

Passavant, C. S., 41, 55, 198. 

Passavant, the Rev. Detmar L., 
197. 

Passavant, the Rev. W. A., D.D., 
ix, X, 9, 22, 38, 49 sq.; pas- 
torate, 51-67, 69, 72, 76, 83, 
87, 92, 101, 137, 153, 196. 

Passavant, the Rev. W. A., Jr., 
136, 162, 197. 

Pastoral Association, 150. 

Pastors, List of, 196. 

Paulsen, the Rev. Mr., 20. 

Paxton, the Rev. Dr., 75. 

Peebles, Andrew, 130. 

Penns, The, 2 sq. 

Pennsylvania College, 67, 80, 87, 
91. 

Pennsylvania Ministerium, see 
Ministerium of Pennsylvania. 

Perkins, William, 198, 199. 

Pews, sold and rented, 29, 39 sq.. 
41 sq., 137. 

Philips, Thomas, 73, 201. 

Phillips, Levi H., 34, 195. 

[2 



Phipps, Mrs. Henry, 115. 
Pittsburgh— in 1782, 1; in 1837, 

3 sq.; great fire, 56; cholera, 

64. 
Pittsburgh Synod, 15, 54 sq., 58, 

69, 87, 88, 92, 96, 101, 102, 

121, 143, 147, 150, 154, 169, 

177, 184, 186, 187. 
Plain Song, 151, 163 sq. 
Plitt, Mrs., 34, 195. 
Plitt, the Rev. J. K., 53. 
Pluetschau, Henry, 171. 
Plummer, the Rev. Dr., 75. 
Porto Rico Mission Board, 177, 

182, 185, 187. 
Portzer, Miss Annie E. L., 156, 

211. 
Post Office site. 111. 
Presbyterians, 2, 7. 
Prichard, Mrs. John, 212, 
Propheter, Eliza, 34, 195. 
Protestant Episcopal Church, 2 

sqq., 6 sq., 8. 
Protracted meetings, 40, 54, 63. 

Rahm, Edward, 62, 63, 73, 85, 

113, 200-2. 
Rahm, Mrs., 42. 
Rathbun, the Rev. Elilau, 55. 
Ream, Charles, 34, 195. 
Ream, Miss Katharine P., 211. 
Ream, Margaret, 34, 195. 
Reck, the Rev. Henry, 53, 84, 86. 
Red Cross Society, 159. 
Reed, the Rev. Luther D., ix, 

151, 160, 163, 164, 166, 170, 

183. 
Reformed, German, 1 sq. 
Reformed Presbyterians, 63, 88. 
7] 



31nDe)r 



Reiber, Edwiii F., 211. 
Reiber, Paul L., 211. 
Reitz, Mrs. William, 212. 
Repairs, see Cleaning. 
Reymer, George, 32. 
Richard, Elizabeth, 15. 
Richards, the Rev. Frank, D.D., 

197. 
Richart, William, 33, 195. 
Riddle, the Rev. Dr., 75. 
Ritchey, Miss Caroline L., 156. 
Ritz, Jeremiah, 13, 15, 23, 27, 

30, 32, 34, 41, 43, 195, 196, 

197-9. 
Ritz, Rachel, 34, 195. 
Robe, the clerical, 135, 137, 147. 
Roedel, the Rev. W. R., 53. 
Roethig, Hen- Bi-uno, 162. 
Roman Catholics, 2. 
Rosenmiller, the Rev. Mr., 11. 
Roosevelt, President, 163. 
Roth, the Rev. Heniy W., D.D., 

89, 153, 162. 
Royer, Elizabeth, 34, 195. 
Royer, George, 29, 34, 195, 19S. 
Rugan, the Rev. John, 197. 
Runyan, Elizabeth, 34, 195. 
Runyan, John, 33, 195. 
Runyan, Rebecca, 34, 195. 

St. John's Church, Pittsburgh- 
Organization of Sunday 
School, 89; maintained by 
Sunday School of Fii-st Ch'ch, 
114 sq.; lot, 115, 123; re- 
quest for sendees, 131; salarj' 
of pastor guaranteed, 140 
sq.; the Rev. F, P. Bossart 
called, 142; organized as a 



congregation, 143 sq.; prep- 
arations for building, 144, 145, 
146, 148, 149; dedication, 151 
sq.; bequest of Mrs. Jane B. 
Black, 155; special assistance, 
160, 162; election of the Rev. 
William H. Fehr, 163 ; partici- 
pation in Memorial service for 
Dr. Geissinger, 175 sq.; trans- 
fer of title and property, 181 
sq.; Sunday School superin- 
tendents, 196. 

St. John's German Lutheran 
Church, Allegheny, 16. 

St. John's English Lutheran 
Church, Philadelphia, 7, 77. 

St. Mark's Church, New York 
City, 167. 

St. Mark's Church, Philadelphia, 
77, 80, 119 sq. 

Sandt, the Rev. G. W., D.D., 
177. 

Scandinavians, 61, 65, 66, 117 
sq., 135. 

Schaefer, Christian F., 180, 209, 
210. 

Schaeffer, the Rev. C. W., D.D., 
LL.D., 72. 

Schaeffer, the Rev. F. D., 17. 

Scharretts, the Rev. N., 11. 

Scheller, Miss Emily, 212. 

Schmidt, the Rev. Dr., 20. 

Schmucker, the Rev. S. S., D.D., 
11, 23 sq., 38, 76 sq., 91. 

Schnee, the Rev. Jacob, 2. 

Schuh, the Rev. H. J., 16. 

Schuler, W., 33, 195. 

Schweigert, the Rev. Mr., 54. 

Scully, John A., Jr., 156. 



[228] 



9!ntiejc 



Scully, John S., 132, 206-7. 
Seaman, Mrs. Joseph H., 159, 

170. 
Seaman, Joseph S., 110, 126, 

132, 146, 148, 182, 204-10. 
Second Presbyterian Church, 2. 
Seibert, the Rev. Albert F., D.D., 

117, 197. 
Seibert, Jacob, 199. 
Seibert & Co., M., 127, 130, 131, 

143. 
Seibert, Paul, 201. 
Seiss, the Rev. Joseph A., D.D., 

LL.D., 93, 101. 
Sellers, Miss Louisa, 170. 
Sellers, Mrs. Mary B., 170. 
Sellei^, H. W., 141, 192, 207-10. 
Shaffer, John, 198, 199. 
Shaffer, Miss Sarah, 169. 



Smith, Charles G., 156. 

Smith, Daniel, 34, 195. 

Smith, the Rev. Enoch, 122. 

Smith, George H., 91. 

Smith, John C, 198. 

Smith, Jonathan P., 189. 

Smith, the Rev. L. L., D.D., 166. 

Smith, Dr. L. W., 186. 

Smith, the Rev. R. Morris. 
Ph.D., 160. 

Smith, the Rev. William H., 39; 
pastorate, 47-50, 184, 196. 

Smithfield St. Church, see Ger- 
man United Evangelical Pjo- 
testant Church. 

Society for Parish and Mission 
Work, 135 sq., 139, 147, 212. 

Spaeth, the Rev. Adolph, D.D., 
LL.D., 69, 75. 



Shane, James, 62, 196, 199-201. | Sprecher, the Rev. Dr., 



Sharpless & Company, 42. 
Sheafer, Miss Annie L., 211, 

212. 
Sheafer, Miss Ida, 153, 156. 
Sheafer, Col. James, 91, 102, 

103, 107, 116, 142, 167, 185, 

186 sq., 203-9. 
Sheafer, Thomas L., 156. 
Shoenberger, John H., 8. 
Shoenberger, Dr. Peter, 8, 42, 

73. 
Sheets, J., 34, 195. 
Shoop, Joseph, 55. 
Shrefler, Lydia, 34, 195. 
Shroeder, William P., 143. 
Siebert, William, 183, 189, 205. 
Sinking Fund Society. 43. 
Smith, Albert W., 156, 192, 208- 

11. 

[229] 



Sprecher, the Rev. Samuel, 47. 

Sproull, the Rev. Dr., 88. 

Steck, the Rev. Jacob S., 55. 

Steck, the Rev. John Michael, 2. 

Steck, the Rev. Michael J., 55. 

Steinmeyer, Miss Madeline M., 
211. 

Stemmeyer, William, 182, 203- 
10. 

Stoever, Prof., 89. 

Streamer, Elizabeth, 34, 195. 

Strebeck, the Rev. George, 6. 

Sunday School — Organization, 
15; Teachers' Association, 26; 
first to occupy Seventh Ave. 
Church, 38 sq.; early experi- 
ences, 41, 43, 49, 53, 54; ex- 
cursions, 57 sq.; records, 60; 
library, 74; mission schools, 



Slnuejc 



89 ; presented sword to Col. j Thompson, Miss Katharine W., 

Sheafer, 91, 187; sendee, 92; | 211. 

organist, 104, 106 ; subscrip- j Torranee, Mrs. Hew C, 159. 

tion to Theological Seminary, I Trautman, Leander, Esq., 154. 

112; maintained St. John's | Trinity Church, Allegheny, 53, 

Sunday School, 114 sq., 144; j 86, 89; see also Allegheny 

service at dedication of Grant i missions. 

St. Church, 137 ; sen-ices with j Turkic, the Rev. A. J., D.D., 

the congregation, 157; Mr. [ 166. 

Lane resigned as superinten- ' 

dent and Mr. J. Han^ey | ^le^T, the Rev. AV. F., 6, 84. 

Wattles elected to succeed him, I Unitarian Church, 12, 13, 14, 15. 

164; offering. 1903, 166; offer- United Synod in the South, 166. 

ing, 1905, 169; Shadyside \ University of Pennsylvania, 81. 



organized, 170; Mr. Lane's 
connection mth, 183 sq.; Eas- 
ter offering, 1908, 186; Easter 
offering, 1909, 193; list of 
superintendents, 196 sq.; pres- 
ent organization, 210 sq. 

Stuckenberg, the Rev. J. W. H., 
D.D., LL.D., 101, 197. 

Superintendents, Sunday School, 
196, 210 sg. 

Swedes, see Scandinavians. 

Swift, the Rev. Dr., 59. 

Swift, the Rev. Eliot E., 59. 

Tabler, the Rev. M., 35. 



Vaughan, John, 199. 

Walter, Miss Eliza, 57; see also 

Passavant, Mrs. W. A. 
Washington, tent of George, 48. 
Washingtonians, 46. 
Waters, the Rev. Asa H., 56, 62, 

197. 
Waters, the Rev. James Q., 104, 

117, 127, 130, 197. ■ 
Watson, George A., 141, 186. 
Watson, Thomas Lane, 211. 
Wattles, Charles W., 180. 
Wattles, J. Harvey, 164, 170, 
180, 182, 185, 196, 208-10. 
Theological Seminary at Chi- Wattles, Miss Julia, 212. 
<'ago. 67. I Wattles, Mrs. Julia, 180. 

Theological Seminar>' at Phila- Wattles, W. Warren, 91, 132, 
delphia, 20, 22, 76. 77, 80, 91, | 145, 148, 149, 182, 207-10. 
93, 112, 117, 121, 132, 135, Wattles, William W., 102, 109, 
176. • 110, 115, 126, 134, 196, 203-6. 

Theological Seminaiy at Rock Weaver, Adam, 98, 203. 

L^land, 111., 118. \ Weber, Carl A., 211. 

Thiel College, 67, 135, 147. Weber, the Rev. John William, 1. 

[230] 



9Intiejtr 



Weekly Parish Bulletin, see 
Parish Bulletin. 

Weils, the Rev. Abram, 55. 

Weiser, Conrad, 1. 

Weitzel, Albert P., 210. 

Welty, Daniel, 205-6. 

Wentz, Anthony, 34, 195. 

Wenzel, the Rev. G. A., D.D., 89, 
117, 137. 

West Pennsylvania Synod, 10, 
11, 12, 15, 28, 30, 35, 37, 43, 
113. 

Weyman, B. F., viii, 91, 100, 104, 
106, 108, 113 sq., 127, 132, 
134, 135, 139, 140, 141, 144, 
145, 148, 155, 157, 161, 164-5, 
180, 181, 191 sq. 

Weyman, George, 4 sq., 8 sq., 11, 
13, 14, 23-9, 32, 33, 34, 36, 
37, 40-3, 47, 49, 55, 56, 57, 
62, 63, 68, 72, 73, 82, 85, 86, 
95, 98, 99, 100, 105 sq., 113, 
116, 195-204. 

Weyman, Miss Harriet K., 135. 

Weyman, William P., 99, 103, 
109, 110, 116, 203-5. 



Whig Convention, 45. 
White, George S., 211. 
White, H. E. & Son, 116. 
Williston, the Rev. Ralph, 6. 
Wilson, Professor, 75. 
Wilson, Frederick, 157. 
Windrim, James H., 110. 
Wingert, Robert R., 210. 
Wirsehing, Philip, 161. 
Witt, the Rev. Samuel D., 55. 
Wolfe, John A., 110. 
Wolfe, WUliam B., 129, 183, 207. 
Workman, The, 9, 38, 61, 66, 67, 

80. 
Wright, Alexander, 198. 
Wunderlich, J. H. A., 196. 

Yeager, Christian, 47, 63, 199, 

201. 
Young, Peter, 104, 106. 
Young, W., 199. 

Ziegenbalg, Bartholomew, 171. 
Zion's English Lutheran Church, 

New York, 6 sq. 
Zug, Mi-s. Eliza, 34, 195. 



sm 16 8909 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: May 2006 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 



ill ■■,.^';-.''.' M 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 459 425 9 • 






r^^l^'i'i 



ii 



m 



w. 






